


An All New Romance

by Pikachunicorn



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-20 00:26:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 35
Words: 45,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2408423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pikachunicorn/pseuds/Pikachunicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Scott Summers about to leave the rest of the time displaced, original X-Men to go travelling with his father, will Warren confess his feelings for the boy with the red sunglasses?</p><p>**Sexy time with O5 Scott and Warren. Then, Hellion comes along and everything gets weird. Just the X-Men being real teenagers for once, really.**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Scott's Choice

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is set around All New X-Men #25. In case anyone was confused. Just drop a comment if it doesn't make sense.

Scott sat on the cool, snowy cliff and looked out over the landscape. It was difficult for him to think that he might not see a sight like this for a long time. Part of him wanted to stay here, with his friends and - literally - with himself, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend time with a father than he had grown up without. He sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. He was here to save the world from himself. Instead, he had chosen to leave selfishly. Scott saw himself enjoying any activity as selfishness. He was a leader. Everything he did should've been for the team. But this was for him. This was something he needed to do.

"You okay, Scotty?" The familiar voice spoke up behind him.

"It's just a lot to take in, I guess." He sighed. "On top of everything we discovered when we arrived, I find out my dad is still alive and healthy... Wow."

"Yeah, I can see that would be weird." The winged mutant sat slowly beside Scott. "What you doing up here?"

"Just thinking it all over. It's going to be tough." Scott admitted. "What brings you here, Warren?"

"I came looking for you." He said, looking into Scott's glasses and hoping their eyes met somewhere behind the lenses.

"Really? Why?" Scott sounded surprised. "Has something happened to the others?"

"No." Warren replied simply, lifting his wings away from the cool snow. "I just thought you might need a friend."

"Oh." Is the only reply that the red eyed mutant provided.

"Not everything is about the team, Scott." Warren said gently, moving slightly closer to the boy beside him. "Sometimes it's just about you."

"Just about me?" Scott sounded surprised, as if he was not allowed to think individually, only as part of the X-Men.

"About you... And me." Warren whispered. Scott swallowed hard. Was he making a move on him?

"What about us?" Scott's voice was quiet.

"You tell me, Cyclops." Warren shrugged, trying to look casual, even though his mind was going crazy about the possible outcomes of his planned actions.

"Warren, you know that-" Scott's sentence cut off mid way through and he sighed heavily. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Warren pushed, wanting the other boy to say more.

"I'm confused." Scott said, as he watched Warren's every move through ruby quartz lenses.

"Me too." Warren whispered. It was true. Warren had been confused since the day he had met the boy in the red sunglasses. Before him, everything was so simple. Warren was an attractive boy. A rich, attractive boy. He had never had any issues getting girls. But then he met Scott, and everything changed. Scott Summers had changed Warren's view on everything. And Warren had never felt emotions so strong for anyone else. Little did he know, Scott felt the same. From the moment Scott had laid his eyes on the beautiful white wings of Warren Worthington III, he had been entranced. Before Warren, Scott had never been seriously attracted to anyone. He kept his mind focused on his education and on the team. But that had become increasingly difficult the more and more he fell for the other mutant.

"I don't want you to go." Warren's words were like a beg.

"Warren, I-"

"No," He cut off Scott's words. "Let me say this first."

"Okay." Scott nodded.

"You're driving me crazy, Scott. I started feeling... Things for you a while ago. I thought I could never tell you - tell anyone - but now you're leaving and I can't let you go without telling you that I-" He stopped himself quickly. "I like you. A lot. I really do."

"Wow." Scott gasped.

"Oh, God! I'm sorry! This was a mistake." Warren began to stand but Scott took hold of his wrist and pulled him back down next to him with surprising force.

"Coming here," Scott started, taking a deep breath. "Seeing how things will apparently work out, it's really changed me. It's given me a new outlook on life. It's also shown me that I shouldn't take anything for granted, least of all my friends."

"Oh," Warren's heart suck slightly at the word 'friend'. He could see what was going to happen, Scott was going to completely reject him and Warren will have made a fool out of himself and expressed his secret homosexual desires for no reason. And then, of course, Scott would leave with an awkward goodbye and they could never see each other again.

"I don't want to take you for granted." Scott whispered, moving closer to the blonde teen beside him.

"You don't?" Were the only words Warren could find. Scott bite his lip softly and shook his head. Warren's eyes fell to the other boy's lips.

"You're the main reason I don't want to go." Scott whispered. "I really like you too Warren. A lot."

"Yeah?" Warren's heart was beating loudly in his ears at Scott's confession.

"Yeah." Scott's voice was low and sexy now. Warren had never seen this side of him before. "Please give me a reason to stay?"

And with that, all of the restraint that Warren had maintained from the day he met the other mutant was no longer required. He placed his right hand on Scott's cheek and ached to look into the boy's eyes to make the moment even more perfect. He leaned in slowly, still scared that Scott would run at any moment. But he didn't. He stayed perfectly still and kept his eyes on Warren as their lips neared each other. And finally, after so long waiting and hoping, they kissed, softly to begin with, savoring the first moment their lips touched. It was everything Warren had ever imagined and so much more. Soon, passion and longing took over and Scott wrapped his arms around Warren's shoulder's, pulling him slightly closer. He ran his fingers over Warren's soft white feathers.

"That tickles." Warren laughed, breaking their contact for a minimal amount of time, before joining their lips again. Warren lent into Scott's body more, pushing him back into the light snow. Scott felt the back of his uniform dampen and cool from its contact with the snow, but he did not feel cold, as Warren's body temperature and the passion of the moment kept him at a comfortable temperature.

"That uniform looks amazing on you. Do you know how hard it was to keep my hands off you when I saw you in that the first time?" Warren panted.

"Shut up and kiss me, Angel." Scott ordered. Warren immediately complied. This was everything Warren had wanted. He stroked Scott's perfect brown hair and smiled against the boy's lips. This was it! He was finally living out the most perfect dream. The Scott Summers he had longed for for so long was finally in his arms and they were making out with more passion than Warren could've ever imagined. He reached up and ran his finger over the frame of Scott's ruby quartz sunglasses. It was him. It was really him! Warren had never expected to finally get his dream boy and he could barely believe his luck. He didn't even think Scott would even be attracted to guys, let alone him!

"Stay with me." Warren begged. "Please. I can't live without you."

"Warren, it's not that simple." Scott sighed, looking up at the boy who leant over his reclined body.

"But I'm in love with you, Scott Summers!" Warren blurted out, regretting the words immediately.

"You-You're w-what?" Scott stuttered. With Warren's chest pushed on top of Scott's, Warren could easily feel his heart rate quickening.

"I- I think I said I love you, Scott." Warren was as much shocked at his confession as Scott was.

"I love you too, Warren. You've been driving me crazy since we met." Warren released a small sigh of relief.

"Don't go." Warren ordered. He was done asking. There was no way he was letting Scott leave now.

"Kiss me." Scott whispered, his smile giving Warren the answer he craved.

_Never, Angel._


	2. Kiss Me Slowly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by 'Kiss Me Slowly' by Parachute.

Scott paced the small hotel room.  _Where was he?_  Warren was supposed to be there half an hour ago to discuss their recent confessions of love for each other, but he was still yet to show. Scott knew how he felt for the other boy. He knew that he was in love with him. Maybe he couldn't see it so clearly before, but now he ached to be with Angel every second of the day. There was no doubt in Scott's mind that what he felt for Warren was love. Hell, he was willing to give up the opportunity to finally have some father-son bonding time just to stay here with the beautiful mutant. But still, Warren's lack of punctuality encouraged worry and fear to bloom in Scott's chest.  _What if he didn't want him? What if Scott was going to be left alone? What if he'd given up his father for nothing?_

Three quick taps on the glass doors leading to the balcony caused Scott to jump with surprise. He was on the eighth floor. There was no way anyone could possibly get to his room's balcony. Anyone, that is, but Warren.

Scott rushed over to the edge of the room, pulling back the ugly curtains and opening the double glass doors, letting in the night.

Warren stood in the doorway, topless. It was obvious he had not intended to use his mutation tonight, or he would've worn something he could access his wings through. Scott was definitely not complaining about his choice of attire though.

"Scott, I'm so sorry. I just-" Scott quickly cut off Warren's words with a kiss. He didn't care why he took so long to get there, the fact was he  _was_  there!

"Wow.  _'Hello'_  to you too." Warren laughed, as Scott pulled him inside quickly, shutting the doors behind him.

"Why did you fly up here? Someone could've seen you!" Scott's worry returned again. Mutants were hardly the most popular people right now.

"They wouldn't let me in downstairs. But I had to see you! I had to come here and show you how I feel!" Warren explained hurriedly. Scott could tell there must've been a light drizzle outside, as tiny water droplets covered Warren's wings.

"How are we going to do this, Warren? We can't tell the others, not yet. I mean, they think I'm straight. I marry Jean in the future!" Scott sat heavily on the bed and Warren quickly followed.

"Technically, it's in the past now, not the future." Warren joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Warren!" Scott moaned. "This is serious."

"I know." The laughter had fallen from Warren's voice. "I don't care what the others think. I'm in love with you."

"They won't see it that way, you know?" Scott warns, fiddling awkwardly with his glasses. "They won't understand."

"I know. But we can make them understand, can't we?" Warren ran his knuckles softly down Scott's cheek.

"We could try, I guess. I'm just not quite sure now is the right time for me to... You know... Come out." Scott blushed at the thought, making Warren smile.

"You wanna keep this just between us?" Warren suggested. "For now, at least?"

"Yeah." Scott sighed. "Sorry."

"It's fine, Scotty."

"Thanks for understanding." Scott whispered shyly.

Warren couldn't resist any longer and kissed the other boy gently. He had longed for the contact all day. Scott moaned softly against Warren's sweet lips and lifted his hands to touch the mutant's bare chest. The contact between their skin drove them both crazy.

"This isn't fair." Warren whispered, smirking. "You have a shirt on."

"You can change that." Scott growled and kissed him again. He felt Warren's hands on his hips, before they slowly moved up the sides of his body, taking his shirt with them. Scott was silently thankful for how much he had been training and working out recently. He was happy with his body. He broke the kiss for a second while Warren pulled the shirt over his head and threw it casually on the floor. With passion like this, there was no need to be tidy.

"I love you, Scotty!" Warren breathed, kissing the boy in his arms with more passion than ever before.

"I love you too, Angel." Warren couldn't help but smile at Scott's words. This was all he had ever wanted or needed.

As their kiss got more heated, the couple fell back to lie on the bed. Although Warren's wings were cramped up against the mattress in a more than awkward position, he couldn't care less! He was far too busy exploring Scott's shirtless body to notice.

Scott couldn't believe what was happening between them. The passion, the fire that they felt was undeniable. Scott grasped Warren's slim waist and guided his body on top of his own. Soon, Warren was straddling Scott's hips and their kissing had become more frenzied than ever. But suddenly, Scott pulled away.

"We should get back." He panted, hating the words. "I don't want to go too fast."

"Scott," Warren sighed, trying to calm his heart rate.

"When can we do this again?" Scott asked softly. Warren stroked the hair gently from Scott's forehead, before standing from the bed.

"Soon, I hope." Warren replied, Scott quickly following him back over to the balcony doors. He wrapped his arms awkwardly around Warren's waist, trying not to crush his wings, and kissed him on the shoulder lovingly.

"Wait!" Scott begged suddenly in a low whisper. "Stay with me."

"Scott, I thought-" Warren's hand rested on the door handle, but he did not open it.

"Don't leave me alone." Scott began kissing Warren's neck, making the boy's brain go fuzzy from the pleasure. "I really love you, and the room is booked for the night, right? Maybe we could just... Talk?"

"Scott, I don't want to push you into anything you don't want to do." Warren worried, turning back around to face his love once again.

Scott was taken aback by the spectacular sight before him. Warren was illuminated perfectly by the city lights from the glass doors behind him. The shadows cast across his body emphasized his toned chest and perfect physique. On top of that, the boy's perfect pale blue eyes sparkled with emotion in a way that Scott had never seen before.

"I don't think I could ever want you more than I do right now." Scott whispered, closing his eyes as the beautiful sight before him became too much. But still the image of Warren framed by the New York skyline and the stars was engraved in his mind.

He held his breath as he sensed Warren's face near his own. He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Warren's neck, his breath catching when his fingers contacted with the boy's perfect skin. And finally, they kissed.

"Stay with me." Scott whispered the command.

"Yes." Warren replied simply. As Scott ran his fingers through Warren's soft, blond hair, as they continued their kiss, he couldn't help falling more and more in love. This is how it was supposed to be.

"Wait." Warren pulled away abruptly, causing Scott's heart to sink. "I think we should talk."

"What? But I thought that we sorted everything out. What's wrong?" Scott worry returned once again. The words Warren had just said weren't usually followed by a positive conversation. He knew that this was too good to be true.

"Nothing, you said you wanted to talk." Warren laughed, resting his forehead against Scott's and letting his eyes slip closed. "And I just want to talk about you. I have fallen in love with Cyclops, the good-boy leader of the X-Men. I want to know more about Scott Summers - the guy behind the visor."

"There's not much to know." Scott shrugged. He didn't think his life was that interesting.

"Come on." Warren pushed. "If we're going to be together, I wanna know your story."

"Umm... Okay. What do you want to know?"


	3. Taking Things Slow

Scott opened his eyes, expecting to see the same ruby tinted room as he did yesterday morning, but this one was different. There was a moment of shock and panic before Scott remembered where he was and, more importantly, who he was there with.

He turned to take in the beautiful sight before him. Warren lay on his side facing Scott and slept peacefully. The sheets were gathered just below his waist and allowed Scott a very satisfying view of the mutant's bare upper body. Scott couldn't help but bite his lip as thoughts inspired by the view before him sprung into his mind. He craved every inch of Warren.  _Always_.

"Quit staring." Warren mumbled, his eyes still closed. Scott jumped with surprise at the sound of his love's voice. "You're drooling."

"Shut up." Scott snapped, clearly embarrassed that he had been caught admiring the boy's perfect physique.

"I'm joking." Warren smirked, still not bothering to open his eyes. "You can stare all you like."

"Who says I want to stare at you?" Scott tried to hide the amusement from his voice, but it was impossible. He straightened his glasses. He hadn't taken them off before he went to sleep last night, in fear that he could hurt Warren.

"No one." Warren's smile grew. "But as my boyfriend, you're soft of obligated to."

"Your  _what_?" Scott was shocked. They hadn't established what their relationship was yet.  _Was he Warren's boyfriend?_  Warren's eyes snapped open now.

"Oh, crap! No, I didn't mean-"

"Do you want me to be your boyfriend?" Scott asked shyly. Scott was not usually a shy person, but there was something about Warren that made him feel vulnerable – especially when they were in bed together in just their underwear discussing boyfriends.

"Yes. Of course I do!" Warren says after a moment. "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

"I don't know, Warren." Scott wanted to say yes, but he had to be realistic. "I mean, I love you. But if meeting up in hotel rooms is all this is ever going to be..." He trailed off.

"I want more than just hotel rooms." Warren replied strongly. "I want you to be mine."

"Are you sure we're ready for this?" Scott whispered.

"Scott Summers, will you be my boyfriend?" Warren asked quickly, ignoring Scott's question.

"Okay." Scott couldn't keep the smile from his lips. Maybe he wasn't ready, maybe he was. Either way, Scott was delighted that he was finally Warren Worthington's boyfriend.

"We need to celebrate this." A cheeky smile tugged at Warren's lips.

"What did you have in mind?" Scott knew exactly what Warren wanted - him.

"This." Warren whispered in a seductive tone and kissed Scott sweetly. Scott, however, was not in the mood for sweet. He was in the mood for sexy. It was difficult not to be in the mood for sexy when you wake up next to a nearly naked Angel. Scott deepened the kiss. He wanted more. He pulled Warren on top of him and smiled when his new boyfriend moaned in reply.

Warren's wings were a major turn on for Scott, much in the same way Scott's ruby quartz glasses were for Warren. Their mutations were what brought them together originally. And plus,  _how can making out with a real angel not be a total turn on?!_

Scott ran his fingers over Warren's right wing, moaning slightly at how hot it got him. Warren pulled away slightly, smiling proudly. Scott was just about to ask why Warren had broken the kiss, when he felt him sucking gently on his neck.

" _Warren_ ," Scott sighed with pleasure, but as always, his logical mind got in the way. "We agreed last night that we didn't want to go too fast."

"Yeah, so?" Warren continued kissing his boyfriend's upper chest. "It's just kissing, Scotty."

"Sure! For you, maybe!" Scott pushed himself into a sitting position, causing Warren to pull away reluctantly. "But when the boy I love is nearly naked and kissing my neck, it's difficult to resist him."

"You think it's easy to resist you?" Warren retorts. "With your whole  _'perfect body, sexy sunglasses'_  routine!"

"My  _what_  routine?" Scott couldn't help but laugh.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Summers! You're delicious!" Warren climbed the bed until their faces were level again.

"What?" Scott was still laughing. "No, I'm not. You're the gorgeous, millionaire bachelor that every teenage girl falls in love with after one glance."

"Until they see these!" Warren spread his wings and smiled proudly.

"Mmmm... I love those." Scott whispered seductively.

"Yeah?" Warren raised his eyebrows slightly, closing the distance between their faces slowly. Scott did not reply with words, instead he bit his lip softly and nodded. Warren loved seeing Scott bite his lip. When they were in training, or out on a mission and Scott would have to make a tough decision, he would always bite his lip in concentration. This usually ended with Warren's eyes being fixed on Scott's lips, daydreaming about when he could finally kiss them.

"You really love my wings?" Warren couldn't hide the slight surprise in his voice. His wings were bulky and awkward sometimes. He could never see that someone would find them appealing.

"Of course I do." Scott whispered, their lips almost touching. "They're part of you."

Warren kissed him. He knew they should definitely be back by now, but how could he resist? The boys ran their hands over each other's nearly bare bodies, savouring every touch. Warren trailed soft kisses down Scott's jaw, soon reaching his neck.

"Warren." Scott said his name in a warning tone. "What did we just talk about?"

"Awh!" Warren moaned. "You're making me wish we never discussed the whole  _'going too fast'_  thing now!"

Scott laughed. "Put some clothes on." He ordered.

"Fine." The angel mutant sighed. "Can I use the shower?"

"Sure. Bathroom is the first door on the left." Scott kissed Warren quickly before the boy stood up from the bed. Scott's mouth fell open at the sight.  _Damn, this guy was too hot!_  He swallowed hard and stared at Warren's perfectly toned back, half hidden by his stunning, white wings.

"Thanks." Warren replied casually, making his way over to the door on the opposite side of the room. Scott's eyes followed Warren's movements. He was entranced, once again, by Warren Worthington III.

"Scott?" Warren's voice had a clear cheeky tone to it already. He leant against the bathroom doorframe looking back at his boyfriend. "Care to join me?"

"Warren." Scott warned, although images of what could happen between the couple in the shower filled his mind.

"Fine!" Warren sighed like a moody, teenage girl and disappeared into the bathroom.

_Taking things slow was going to be much harder that both boys had ever imagined!_


	4. Waiting

Scott found it difficult in training over the next few days. Every time someone even mentioned Warren's name, he was forced to suppress an uncontrollable smile. This was a big step for the young mutant. All that time lying and pretending that he didn't care for the winged mutant had really torn him apart. Finally being able to say it - even if it was only to Warren himself - felt spectacular.

When they passed each other in the hallways and corridors, Scott could feel the butterflies pounding themselves against the walls in his stomach - especially when they exchanged knowing smiles. Warren's smile had always made Scott's heart skip a beat, but now it was different. Now, Warren was smiling for  _him_! Scott felt his brain go all fuzzy at the thought. His feelings for Warren did that to him on a regular basis. It was strange, because he was usually so attentive. But recently he was regularly being snapped out of his daydreams by his irritated teammates. He'd blush and apologize.

But, of course, that would set Warren off. He loved it when Scott blushed. It made him seem so cute and innocent. Training was equally as difficult for Warren, who struggled to contain his elation. People would ask him why Cyclops was acting so strange, and it took all of the Angel's restraint not to shout " _we're in love_ ". That's what he wanted to do. He wanted to scream it from the rooftops. He wanted everyone to know how insanely lucky he was. And he also wanted everyone to know that they should keep their hands off his boyfriend.

"Hey." Warren took Scott's arm, pulling him into the changing room one morning before training. "I've missed you."

"Hey." Scott repeated, smiling. He quickly shut the door behind them.

"You've been driving me crazy, you know that?" Warren whispered, wrapping his arms around Scott's waist.

"Hypocrite." Scott chuckled quietly. "I've been so aching to touch you, to hold you, to kiss you."

"We're alone now, Scotty." Warren's mind was alight with all of the things he wanted to do with Scott in that moment.

"What if someone comes in? What if they-"

"They won't." Warren whispered reassuringly. "It's just me and you now, Summers."

"Yeah?" Scott's small smile grew.

"Uh huh." Warren nodded, pulling Scott's body closer to his own.

"So, we can do what we want right now?" Scott questioned, before biting his lip lightly.

"Don't bite your lip." Warren ordered.

"Why not?" Scott furrowed his brow, confused. Had he done something wrong?

"Because it's unbelievably attractive." Warren confessed.

"Oh, you mean like this?" Scott bit his lip again, teasing his new boyfriend.

"Stop it!" Warren laughed.

"Stop what?" Scott asked innocently, continuing to nibble softly on his lower lip again.

"That!" Warren replied, struggling to resist his gorgeous boyfriend.

"Make me." Scott whispered. Warren knew what that meant - he wanted him to kiss him. Warren followed the subtle order immediately, locking his lips with Scott's. The kiss was spectacular! Those few days of longing and temptation had resulted in an extremely excited kiss, fuelled by pure passion. Scott wrapped his arms lazily around Warren's neck. His breath caught when his fingertips brushed the boy's wings. They were so sexy! Scott pulled away from Warren quickly, taking a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" Warren's worry was evident in his voice.

"You're getting me far too hot, Angel." Scott confessed, blushing at the words.

"Ditto." Warren smirked, pulling Scott back to him.

"I love you so much." Scott whispered, happy he was able to say the words again.

"I love you too, Scott. And I will love you forever. I swear." Warren ran his fingers lightly through Scott's bangs, making the other boy giggle.

"What are you doing?" He laughed.

"I don't know." Warren shrugged. "But when I'm with you I have this irresistible urge to touch you. Maybe it stems from how I still can't believe this is happening. Me and you... We were always just a distant dream. I never thought you'd feel this way. I thought I was just some foolish guy swooning over a straight boy. I thought you'd never want me the way I want you. And now that is has happened, I have to keep checking you're still around. This just seems too perfect to be true. I love you, Scott Summers. It sounds stupid but I just don't know how to live without you. You're everything I want in life, and, more importantly, you're everything I need. If I was to lose you... I'd be broken. I couldn't live. So, promise me this, Scott Summers, promise me you'll never leave?"

"Warren Kenneth Worthington III," Warren would usually cringe at the sound of his full name, but coming from Scott he didn't seem to mind it. It was yet another mundane thing that Cyclops had made beautiful for him. "I swear that I will love you until the day I die. And when I die, I pray that I'll be sent to heaven, as that's where the angel's live, meaning I would have a chance to be reunited with my Angel."

"You are so perfect!" Warren smiled uncontrollably, unable to hide his emotions from his lips any longer.

"Look who's talking." Scott replied, smirking slightly.

"So," Warren stepped back and held his hand out between them. "Forever, yeah?"

"Forever." Scott echoed, shaking his boyfriend's hand.

"I don't want to go to training." Warren moaned like a child.

"Me neither." Scott sighed. "But we have to."

"But I don't want to get back to pretending my heart doesn't flip every time I look at you." Warren's words made Scott blush. He was so cute!

"I know, Angel. I feel the same." Scott stepped closer to Warren again. "One last kiss?"

Warren didn't need to be asked twice. He immediately pushed his lips against Scott's savouring every second of contact that they had. He knew this might not happen again for a while.

"Can you two hurry-"

Warren pulled back from Scott gasping at the sound of the voice from the doorway - someone had caught them. Scott's eyes snapped across the room to see his older self stood, white pale, in the entrance to the room.

_Could this get any worse?_


	5. The Definition of Crazy

"Why were you kissing him- I mean, me! I mean- Scott, what the hell is going on?" Walking in on his younger self kissing a guy was hardly an easy thing for Scott Summers to understand.

"Ummm..." Warren stepped back from his boyfriend awkwardly.

"No! This can't happen!" Scott yelled at his younger counterpart.

"Calm down!"

"No, you can't do this to me- us. Ugh!" Scott couldn't believe he was literally arguing with himself about him kissing a guy.

"Why not? It's my body!" Young Scott stated proudly, stepping forward.

"Our body!" His older self retorted. "And because it'll mess everything up."

"Umm... Guys?" Warren stepped up to them awkwardly.

"Stay out of this!" Both Scott's ordered.

"Well, that was strange." Warren mumbled.

"How will it mess things up?" Younger Scott demanded. "Do you not remember how you felt about him?"

"That was just me going through a brief bicurious phase. It didn't mean anything." Present day Scott replied, although he knew in his mind it was a lie.

"A brief phase?" The younger man took hold of his boyfriend beside him and kissed him again. He felt the familiar buzz of excitement when their lips touched. "Does this look like it doesn't mean anything?"

"You'll grow out of it." Scott snapped at himself like an irritating parent.

"Ouch." Warren spoke up. "Always lovely when your boyfriend from the future tells you-"

"Shut up, Warren!" Both men yelled, in sync again.

"Okay." He replied timidly. "Man, this is weird."

"Grow out of it?" Young Scott was insulted by his words. "I love him."

"You can't do this! If the professor misses anything when you go back, and you two end up together, everything will be all wrong!"

"What? I won't grow up living a lie and denying my feelings?" The younger boy replied.

"My children - our children - are kind of a big deal! If you stay with Warren, Nathan and Rachel will never have been born!" The mature Scott argued.

"Don't you want to be happy? Don't you want to be with the person you really love?" The boy replied calmly.

"I want to know my son will live!"

"Am I really this irritatingly selfless?" Younger Scott muttered to Warren.

"Oh, you have no idea." Warren replied mindlessly, rolling his eyes.

"You don't remember, do you?" Scott stepped closer to his older self.

"Remember what?"

"You don't remember what it felt like, seeing him every day and not being able to touch him. Falling more and more in love with him, but not being able to act on it. Having to hide everything you were feeling. Fearing that the professor would delve into your mind and find out these things you were thinking." The boy's confession shocked his boyfriend, who stood open mouthed beside him. "Don't you remember those moments that your eyes would meet his and you would look away quickly, hoping he couldn't see the emotion behind your glasses? Don't you remember the dreams you would have so regularly about finally being able to tell him how you felt? Because I do."

"Oh, Scott." Warren sighed.

"Of course I remember that! But you can't just-"

"I'm fed up of doing things for everyone else's benefit. Can't we just do something for us for once?" Young Scott begged. "You remember loving him, I can see it."

"Fine." His older self replied curtly. "But if this backfires, it's on you."

"Technically, it's on you too, then." Warren muttered, obviously amused by the prospect of his boyfriend having an argument with himself.

"Angel." The maturer man said strongly.

"Uh huh?" Warren perked up.

"I have no idea what I see in you." Older Scott replied bluntly, before leaving the room.

"Charming!" Warren laughed.

"What?" Scott took a deep breath assessing the previous situation. He just had an argument with himself. Isn't that on the criteria for insanity?

"You just said that you didn't see what you saw in me!" Warren emphasized the word 'you' more with each repetition.

"But I was lying, because I do." Scott copied Warren's emphasis of the pronoun that referred to him, smirking to himself.

"Scott?" Warren suddenly sounded more serious.

"Yeah?" Scott continued preparing for training.

"You really meant all those things?" Warren smiled sweetly at his boyfriend.

"What things?" Scott replied mindlessly, whilst switching his glasses for his visor.

"About how you felt before. About me." Warren's words drew Scott's attention back to him.

"Of course. It was killing me, having to resist you." Scott whispered, stepping closer to his love. "I can't imagine how I've grown up without you."

"Well, now you don't have to." Warren ran his fingers through Scott's soft, brown hair.

"I love you, Angel." Scott smiled. Warren kissed his boyfriend quickly.

"I love you too."


	6. Eyesight

Scott sat alone in the hotel room, once again, eagerly awaiting the arrival of his love. He hated not knowing where Warren was. It made his stress levels peak every minute he waited there without him. He fiddled with his glasses awkwardly - a nervous habit. He had decided in his seven minutes of waiting that, next time, Warren should get the room, and then he can be the one waiting around! Scott never felt more nervous than he did right then. He just wanted his boyfriend. And, of course, as if he was a real angel, Warren granted Scott his wish, with three gentle taps on the balcony doors.

"You're crazy, Angel." Scott laughed, opening the doors.

"Crazy for you, Scotty." Warren stepped into the room, leaving the cold night alone outside. Scott blushed at his boyfriend's words. Flirting was easy for Warren. He'd always been good with girls, and always gained a lot of attention at parties. He was gorgeous, and part of him knew that. Scott's attractiveness, however, was far more understated. He was subtly sexy, Warren had always thought. Because of this, he had never really got so much attention - making the attention he now received from Warren even more exciting.

"Don't blush like that." Warren smiled, running his fingers through Scott's hair and closing the distance between their faces more.

"Why not?" Scott whispered, unable to speak any louder.

"Because it makes me want you." Scott couldn't help blushing more at Warren's words. And soon, his cheeks matched the deep red colour of Warren's uniform that he always wore so well.

"Sorry." Scott smiled a small, sweet smile.

"You need to stop apologizing so much." And finally, Warren allowed their lips to touch. It was perfect - as always. They had been waiting for the contact for so long. Warren slipped his hands up under Scott's shirt, feeling him flinch at the first contact.

"I missed you so much, Scotty." Warren whispered, breaking their kiss for the minimal amount of time. Scott replied with a simple moan against Warren's lips.

As they kissed everything seemed to be lost around them. Scott let his mind forget about time travel, inter-galactic murder trials and long-lost, space pirate fathers. When their lips met, the boys were no longer Cyclops and Angel - mutant heroes and X-Men - they were simply Scott Summers and Warren Worthington III - teenage lovers. It was a nice feeling. Free of all the pressure from the outside world. No one here was judging Scott for crimes he hadn't yet committed. No one was whispering about metal wings around Warren here. They were just two boys. Two  _normal_  boys. And finally, normality seemed achievable. But, of course, times like that never last and Warren's words seemed to shatter the boys' perfect daydream.

"Scotty," He pulled away slightly. "What colour are your eyes?"

"Oh." Scott couldn't pretend like the innocent question didn't hurt him slightly. He was fully aware that, despite all of the things he could do with Warren, they could never look each other directly in the eye. That thought provided Scott with nothing but an extreme feeling of guilt.

"Warren, I'm sorry." He sighed, the realization of mutant life flooding back to him.

"Why?" Warren's smile remained. "It was just a question?"

"No, I mean, I'm sorry you even have to ask." Scott stepped away from his boyfriend and sat heavily on the bed. "We should be able to have direct eye contact."

"Scott, that's not what I meant." Warren took a seat beside the other boy. "I was just curious."

"I'm sorry, gorgeous." Scott repeated his apology.

"Did you just use a pet name?" Warren smirked, and, despite his emotions, Scott found himself smiling too.

"No." He released a small chuckle. "It was an adjective. Because you are gorgeous. It's not like I called you 'baby' or something."

"Why? Is there something wrong with that, baby?" Warren joked, feeling proud to see the sadness slip from Scott expression.

"Seriously?" Scott couldn't resist laughing.

"You are my baby, baby! I love you, baby!" Warren teased Scott more. Teasing Scott was probably one of his favourite past times. It was so easy!

"Stop it!" Scott giggled.

"Fine! What about 'babe'?" Warren laughed.

"No way!" Scott protested smiling uncontrollably.

"You sure, babe?"

"Stop!" Scott's laughter increased.

"You started it, sweetie pie." Warren teased. "You're the one who called me gorgeous, honey bear."

"Sweetie pie just makes us sound like an old married couple!" Scott noted, giggling.

"Who knows? Maybe one day we will be, Mr Summers." Warren whispered. Although the laughter was lost from his voice, a loving smile remained on his lips.

"You think about that stuff?" Scott blushed again.

"Sure." Now Warren was also blushing.  _Was he supposed to admit that? Was that too forward?_

"Me too." Scott's hushed voice replied, his eyes falling to Warren's lips.

"Would that make me Warren Worthington-Summers? Or would you be Scott Worthington?" Warren smirked again.

"Hey!" Scott protested in laughter. "Why can't you take my name? Warren Summers sounds sexy!"

"Because Worthington is a good name." Warren poked out his tongue.

"So is Summers!" Scott argued.

"Scott, I'm willing to go double barrel for you, that's a win." Warren suggested, flicking Scott's nose lightly.

"So, I would be Scott Worthington-Summers?" Scott wrinkled his nose, more at the sound of the name than at Warren's flicking.

"I guess you would." Warren smiled at the thought, stroking his fingers through Scott's hair.

"I guess I would." Scott agreed. He tried not to think that the chances were, they would never actually get to marry. They would go back to their time, the professor would wipe their memories, and Scott would grow up and marry Jean, whilst secretly crushing on the boy with the white wings. Instead, Scott opted to kiss Warren. That usually kept his mind from reality.

"So, one day, you might want to marry me?" Warren broke the kiss, still not quite believing the previous conversation.

"Shut up and kiss me, Mr Worthington-Summers." Scott ordered, giving Warren the only answer he would ever want -  _yes_. Warren, as usual, followed Scott's command, kissing him strongly. How could he not when he had just discovered Scott saw a future in their relationship? This was perfection. Warren deepened the kiss, unable to suppress his emotions any longer.

"Brown." Scott pulled away abruptly.

"What?" Warren furrowed his brow.

"Brown." Scott repeated. "You asked what colour my eyes were."

Warren's expression broke into a large smile. "Perfect." He whispered, before re-joining their lips.


	7. Party Planner

"A party?" Scott was shocked at the suggestion. "Are you crazy?"

"I know it's not what we'd usually do, but I've got all these beautiful apartments now so why not?" Warren smiled at his boyfriend, who sat across the room.

"I love the idea!" Bobby spoke up.  _Of course he would. He's Bobby._

"Warren has a point, Scott - why not?" Jean sounded unusually happy.

"But what if-"

"Scott." Warren warned. Scott knew his boyfriend was not fond of his  _'what ifs'_.

"I agree with Warren." Hank entered the room casually. "This could be the perfect thing for us."

"Fine!" Scott huffed. This was the first disagreement they had had as a couple, and they couldn't even kiss and make up. It sucked.

Honestly, that's where most of Scott's frustration stemmed from - the fact he was missing his boyfriend. Every day it got more difficult. It was back to what it was before, but worse. This time they knew how each other felt.

"Who would even come though?" Bobby asked and wrinkled his nose. "It's not really a party with just the five of us!"

"We'll invite everyone!" Warren announced happily. "Get everyone around our age from the New Xavier School and the Jean Grey School!"

"Sure, a large group of drunk, teenage mutants, that's only going to go well." Scott rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Scotty! Live a little!" Warren winked at his boyfriend subtly. Scott felt a small flurry of panic, but luckily no one had noticed Warren's little gesture.

"This is a terrible idea, Angel." He warned.

"Bobby, wanna be my wingman?" Warren flashed the younger mutant his signature, rich boy smile that he had acquired after years of private school education.

"You totally have to teach me how you pick up girls like you do!" Bobby begged.

"What can I say? It's a gift!" He knew it was cruel, but he enjoyed making Scott jealous. And one glance across the room told him it was working. "The ladies can't resist an angel."

"Dude, it's so easy for you!" Bobby moaned.

"I can't help the Worthington charm." Warren laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sure girls find your excessive modesty attractive too." Scott rolled his eyes.

"Confidence is key, Summers."

"Fine. I'll go to your party. But I think we should invite Laura." A smug smile took Scott's lips.

"Wolverine girl?" Jean sounded slightly insulted. She still had a thing for Scott. Everyone knew that.

"Laura." Scott corrected. "I like her."

"You do?" Warren narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend.

"She's nice. And kinda cute."

"Cute?" Warren and Jean spoke in unison, awarding them strange looks from the other three teens.

"I mean," Warren cleared his throat. "I thought you liked blondes."

Jean shot him a look.

"What? Isn't future him with the one with the diamond boobs?"  _And right-now him is with me_ , he thought happily.

"I think we broke up." Scott pouted slightly in confusion. Being in the future was awkward.

"Okay, you can invite Laura." Jean huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Perfect." Warren growled. He was so done with hiding his relationship.

Scott rolled his eyes behind his visor.  _Why was Warren being so immature? He was so annoying when he was like this!_

"Can I go tell the Stepford girls? Those three are hot!" Bobby's comment broke through the awkward silence, and he was quickly awarded with numerous disapproving looks. "What? They are!"

"Fine, go." Warren sighed, shaking his head and running his hand through his hair. Bobby rushed from the room like an excited child on Christmas.

"I should probably get back to the lab." Hank muttered awkwardly, before also exiting.

"Yeah, I'm late for a session with Emma." Jean released an exaggerated sigh of exasperation.

"Sure, have fun." Scott's heart skipped a beat when he realized that soon he would be left alone with Warren.

"So, you think Laura is cute?" Warren asked when the door shut behind Jean.

"So, you think I like blondes?" Scott retorted.

"You do, don't you?" Warren's mouth turned up at the edges slightly, causing the butterflies in Scott's stomach to do flips.

"Maybe." Scott shrugged, playing down his feelings. Warren could tell he was hiding his true emotions, so decided to ramp up his flirting, taking to crossing the room and sitting down beside his boyfriend on the couch.

"Who's cuter?" Warren wrapped his arm around Scott's shoulders. "Me or her?"

"Warren," Scott pulled away quickly. "What if someone sees us?"

"They won't." Warren whispered sweetly, his lips just inches from Scott's neck.

"Remember last time you said that?"

"Relax, Scotty." Warren twisted his fingers into his boyfriend's perfect, brown hair. "Just have some fun. You are literally the most uptight person I've ever been with!"

"Maybe the ladies can't resist an angel," Scott stood from the couch. "But I can."

"Oh, come on! You know I didn't mean that stuff!" Warren called after him. "Scott!"

"Enjoy your party, Warren." Scott paused at the door but didn't turn back. "I won't be there."


	8. Julian Keller

Warren felt alone. He wasn't. He was the opposite - in a room filled with people having fun and chatting casually. But none of them mattered, really. Not when Scott wasn't there. He wished they had cell phones like everyone else in this time period. Then he could text him to check up.

"Warren!" Bobby called, pushing his way through the pulsing crowd of underage mutants. "This party is awesome!"

"Thanks," Warren plastered on a fake smile, as Bobby arrived beside him. "Still no sign of Scott?"

"Nope." Bobby shook his head with a little too much enthusiasm. Warren sighed inwardly, before ruffling Bobby's hair in a slightly patronizing manner.

"Don't drink too much, yeah?" He warned. "You're still only young and if you decided to run out and ice up some random building, I'd have to take responsibility for that."

"Whatever, man! You're starting to sound just like him!" Bobby flicked his hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Who?"

"Cyclops." The word brought a smile Warren's lips. He wanted to be more like Scott. Scott was amazing! A fearless leader, a loving man, a skilled fighter. He was just  _perfect_.

"Yeah well, I'm right." He tapped the top of the bottle in Bobby's hands lightly. "Last one, yeah?"

"Come on!" Bobby moaned. "I thought you were gunna teach me how to pull tonight!"

Warren laughed. "Wanna know my secret?"

"Yes! Just yes!" Bobby was almost bouncing with excitement at the words. Warren leant in closer, as if to share something completely confidential.

"Be nice." He whispered.

"Oh, come on!" Bobby rolled his eyes. "Seriously!"

"Okay, so it's not that simple. But essentially, that's it." Warren shrugged. "Go up to a girl. Say hi. Small talk. Throw in some compliments and subtle flirting. There. Done."

"But-"

"Just try it." Bobby's attitude always made Warren smile. "Go find a girl, chat to her, and then report back."

"Who though?" Bobby bit his lip searching the room of attractive young mutants for an appropriate target.

"What about Laura?" Warren suggested. The dark haired clone sat all alone in the corner of the room. She ran her finger slowly around the brim of a crystal whiskey glass that seemed to contain some sort of unknown liqueur.

"Why her?" Bobby wrinkled his nose. Warren could tell that he was intimidated by her, which was quite amusing.

"She looks lonely. And Scott said she was nice." Which was the true reason Warren had chosen her. He was jealous. He wanted Scott to want him and no one else. If Bobby and Laura hit it off - _perfect_!

"Are you sure?"

"You not cool enough for a girl like that?" Warren teased.

"Hey! If there's one thing the Iceman knows, it's how to be cool!" And with that, Bobby headed off across the room.

"Spin the bottle!" Someone announced from the area in front of the huge, flat screen TV.  _Wow, future Warren's places were nice!_

"You gunna play?" Jean suddenly appeared beside Warren.

"Wasn't planning to."

"Why not?" She pushed. "What's been up with you today? You've been so... Different."

 _I had my first disagreement with my boyfriend_ , he thought but settled with the reply of a simple shrug.

"Oh, come on, Warren." She laughed. "You're  _so_  playing."

"I don't think that's a-"

"Come on!" She repeated, taking his arm and tugging over to the newly formed circle. He looked back just in time to hear the familiar 'snikt' of Laura's claws, as Bobby jumped backwards, holding his hands up and apologizing. Despite everything, Warren laughed. Yes, his love life wasn't perfect, but it could be worse.  _He could be Bobby!_

He and Jean dropped to the floor, squeezing into the tight circle. Someone began explaining the rules, but Warren wasn't listening. His mind was still on Scott.  _Where was he?_  They hadn't really spoken since Scott left the room after Warren's foolish girl-related comments. He'd told him the time and place of the party as the passed in the corridor, but that was about it.

Warren sighed heavily.  _Why couldn't things be simple? Why couldn't he have fallen for Jean? Or some other sexy, female mutant? There were plenty of them!_ But  _no_. Warren had to fall head over heels in love with  _Scott Summers_  - the guy that lead his team and grew up to marry beautiful women and have beautiful kids. And to complicate things even more, when they got back to their time, the professor was going to wipe their memories, and they would have to go back to living like they never knew each other's feelings again.  _Ugh_. The thought physically pained Warren. Being in love with Scott, as awkward as it was, was the best feeling. And he didn't want to give that up.

A chorus of loud ' _oooohh_ 's pulled Warren from his daydream. When his eyes refocused he noticed everyone was staring at him. His gaze dropped to the floor to see the bottle neck pointing in his direction.  _Great._

"Oh god." He moaned. "What now?"

"You totally have to kiss Julian!" Jean giggled beside him.

"What?" Warren knew straight away that this game was a bad idea. "Like, properly?"

The reply came in almost the whole group nodding and giggling. Warren sighed heavily and looked over to the boy he had been pinned with. Julian Keller was a young telekinetic, with perfect jet-black hair and deep blue eyes. He was stereotypically gorgeous - even with prosthetic, metal hands. And Warren couldn't deny his slight attraction to him. There were definitely worse people he could've been matched with!

Julian blushed slightly from the other side of the circle.  _Just like Scott does when I flirt with him_ , Warren thought, before sighing heavily and moving forward to the centre of the circle.

"You wanna just get this over with?" He suggested. Julian nodded and soon the pair's lips touched. The mutants around then cheered and called out for more. To Warren's surprise, he felt the boy who was now wrapped in his arms deepen the kiss. Even more surprising, was that Warren kissed him back. It felt good. Not as good as kissing Scott, but close.

Their contact broke abruptly, both boys seemingly remembering where they were.

Warren stood quickly from the circle. One kiss was enough for that night. He turned to head back to the kitchen when he saw  _him_.

Scott stood just a few feet away, his mouth gaping at what he had just seen.

Warren felt panic hit his heart.

_Scott had just seen him kiss some other guy._


	9. Just A Game

"Scott!" Warren took hold of his boyfriend's arm as he tried to turn away. "We need to talk."

"I'm sure we do." Scott was thankful for the ruby quartz glasses that hid the tears that lined his eyes. Warren quickly tugged Scott into the nearest bedroom, locking the door behind them.

"I thought you weren't coming." He started, unsure of what to say.

"Yeah, you seemed to make the most of my absence." Scott sat heavily on the bed, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"No, it wasn't like that!" Warren begged. "It was just a game!"

"Oh, don't even try to pretend you didn't love every second!"

"I was thinking about you! I swear!" Warren slipped off his jacket - revealing his wings - and sat beside Scott, who immediately got up.

"Oh really? Because from where I was standing, you seemed to have no problem sticking your tongue done that sleezy telekinetic's throat!" He snapped.

"Scott!" Warren moaned. "You know I'd never-"

"You don't get what's wrong here, do you?" Scott turned his face away unable to look at the beautiful boy before him any longer.

"It was just a game!" Warren repeated

"I wanted to be the only guy you kissed like that, Warren!" Scott blurted out the words before he could stop himself, then lowered his voice, suddenly aware that their private life was hidden from the world by only a thin wooden door. "I wanted to be special."

"You are special, Scotty." Warren stood from the bed and approached the other boy slowly, fearful he may bolt. "You're everything I want. I love you."

"It's difficult to feel special when I just feel like another statistic for you."

"Another statistic? Scott, what are you-"

"I love you, Warren." Scott cut off his boyfriend's words, knowing that soon they would reduce him to tears. "With all of my heart. But there's this voice in the back of my head telling me I'm just like those girls who couldn't resist the Worthington charm."

"That's what this is about?" Warren raised his eyebrows. "You're not some dumb blonde I met at a house party."

"But I can't help feeling that way." Scott confessed. "Not to be rude, but you're kind of the biggest slut in the X-Men."

"Ouch." Warren laughed slightly, despite the situation, and wrapped his arms around Scott's waist. "But seriously, why would I agree to take it slow if you were just another notch in the bedpost for me? Listen Scotty, I'm as scared of this relationship as you are, possibly more, but that definitely does not mean I'll ever want anyone else. I love being scared with you, Scott Summers."

"Are you attracted to him?" Scott looked into his boyfriend's eyes through his glasses.

"Who? Julian?" Scott didn't answer. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"This whole  _'it's okay to be attracted to a guy'_  thing is new to me. I really don't know how to answer that question." Warren felt Scott fingers playfully weave into his feathers, soothing his worry slightly.

"Please," Scott sighed. "Yes or no?"

"Yes." Warren replied bluntly, immediately regretting it.

"Okay," Scott took a deep breath, stepping back from Warren slightly.

"Would you have preferred I lied to you? Because those were the options you were giving me." He linked his fingers with Scott's. "You can't say I'm the only guy you find attractive."

"I know. I'm just scared of losing you." Scott's voice was weak and quiet. "You have to see how much it hurt me. I spend the last two hours feeling guilty as hell for not coming to this party for such a foolish reason. Then, I decide it will be romantic if I turn up and surprise you. I spend the whole journey up here planning what I'm gunna say to you and how I'm gunna get you alone. And then I walk in and you're making out with some gorgeous, blue-eyed telekinetic."

"Trust me, Scotty. It was just the game. Sure, Julian is pretty attractive, but he has nothing on you. And, more importantly," He took a step towards Scott. "I love you."

"I love you too, Warren." Scott felt the familiar butterflies return.

"Besides, he was nowhere near as good as you." Warren smirked, kissing his boyfriend's nose.

"Really?" A small smile took Scott's lips.

"Really."

"You wanna kiss me now, slut?" Scott teased.

"Not appreciating the new nickname. But yes." Warren laughed, before kissing his boyfriend softly.

As usual, their kiss was perfect. And with it, everything seemed to fall into place. They were in love, and nothing was going to change that.


	10. One-On-One

"I don't think I can do this." Warren moaned, rubbing the back of his head tiredly through the hangover.

"Maybe you shouldn't have drank so much then, Angel." Scott laughed, as the doors to the training room shut heavily behind them.

"I didn't." Warren replied defensively, wincing.

"If Illyana hadn't had teleported us back here you would have flown around New York naked." Scott suppressed a chuckle at the memory.

"Oh god." Warren moaned, covering his face in his hands.

"It could've been worse." Scott continued, whispering softly now. "You could've told everyone about us."

"True." The boys shared a knowing smile. "But I didn't mean the hangover, I meant, I don't think I can do a one-on-one session with you!"

"Why not?" Scott felt the familiar heat claim his cheeks.

"You know," Warren returned his boyfriend's blush. " _This_."

"Professor Kitty said we had to." Scott shrugged. "We need to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses if we're to work as a successful team."

"I know, it's just weird." Warren stopped in the centre of the large, open room.

"You don't think I can take you?" Scott stepped towards his boyfriend.

"Well... I am an angel." Warren replied smugly.

"And I'm the original X-Man." Scott's pride was clear.

"Fine. Go!" Warren shot up into the air above Scott's head. The red-eyed mutant's head snapped up and he was quickly shooting small, weak blasts at his boyfriend, who dodged them easily.

"You're gunna have to do better than that, Cyclops!" Warren laughed happily, flying casually around.

"Fine." A small smile room Scott's lips. He aimed a small beam at the wall to his right and fired.

"Ha! That wasn't even in my direct- AHH!" Warren fell to the ground heavily, after Scott's blast rebounded off the walls and hit his right wing from behind. "Ow."

"Pinned you!" Scott laughed, climbing on top of his boyfriend.

"No way!" Warren smirked, using the strength in his wings to flip them so he was on top, and held down Scott's hands against the floor. He laughed at this success. But he felt his eyes connect with Scott's behind the boy's visor.

"Isn't this a bit of a compromising position for us, Angel?" Scott looked up at the boy who straddled his hips.

"Depends who you ask." Warren whispered.

"Be good." Scott purred, trying to pulling his arms free.

"A weakness is that you can do nothing with your hands tied." Warren teased, before leaning in closer and whispering, "A strength is you look really, damn gorgeous today."

"Warren!" Scott blushed.

"You're so cute when you blush like that." Warren kissed Scott subtly on the cheek.

Scott pushed his boyfriend off his body, finally pulling his hands free. He shuffled backwards quickly, before standing.

"What?" Warren laughed.

"Just... Don't!" Scott released an exasperated sigh, before storming from the room.

"Scott, wait!" Warren called.

"You two are arguing again?" Bobby leant against the wall outside the training room lazily. "That's like the third time in two days! I thought you sorted this at the party last night."

"Bobby, stay out of it!" Warren called back, not pausing to turn around.

"I thought you were a team, guys!"

"Bobby!" Warren snapped. "Leave it!"

"Stop following me, Warren!" Scott yelled, entering his room and slamming the door behind him. Warren sighed and leant, defeated against the door.

"Open the door, Scotty." Warren begged.

"Go away."

"What's wrong? You could've told me before you stormed off!" Warren closed his eyes; he wasn't leaving until Scott gave him a chance.

"Just go!" Scott's muffled voice was weak, seemingly upset.

"No way, Summers. I-" He stopped himself, checking his surroundings. When he was sure he was alone, he lowered his voice and spoke the words. "I love you."

The door opened and Warren fell into the room. It then quickly slammed behind him.

"Are you insane?!" Scott hissed.

"What?" Warren blinked up at him. "What did I do?"

"You were being... You!" Scott sighed, slumping onto the bed.

"I'm sorry?"

"You were being the  _'you'_  that you are when we're alone." Scott whispered, as Warren sat beside him.

"I'm always just me, Scotty." Warren replied, confused.

"I can't cope with you being all... Argh!" Scott buried his face in his hands. "We're supposed to be hiding this! You're not- you're not making it easy!"

"I'm sorry. I just can't act like you mean nothing." Warren leaned in to kiss Scott, who quickly turned away.

"You did last night with Julian."

"We talked about that!" Warren pushed his palm against his aching forehead. "It was a game. I was missing you, and it was stupid."

"Yeah, it was."

"What's the real issue here, Scott? Just be straight with me! Come out and say it, yeah?" Warren stood from the bed pushing his hand into his hair.

"That choice is the issue!" Scott took Warren's wrist, pulling him back down onto the bed. "Be straight, or come out."

"Oh." Is all Warren could find to reply.

"I want to be with you properly, Warren. But I'm so damn terrified. My head is all over the place! When the other me found out about us, he wasn't even very tolerant, and he's one of the few people that actually understand how we feel." He leant his head on Warren's shoulder. "They'd never accept me."

"Don't come out then. Keep us hidden for a while longer." Warren suggested, taking Scott's hand.

"You don't want that. I can tell you want us to be real and-"

"We are real, Scotty!" Warren cut him off.

"I can't be torn like this any longer. The future brotherhood are out there somewhere, and we should be concentrating on training so that we're ready for them." Scott pulled his hand away. "Having this on my mind is just a distraction."

"I'm just a distraction?" Scott didn't answer. "Fine."

"Warren, I'm sorry." A single, hot tear escaped Scott's visor.

"So, what are you saying? You don't want to come out, but you don't want to hide anymore - where does that leave us?" Warren stood from the bed again, stepping back and looking down at Scott, who hung his head.

"I love you, Angel. I really do. But right now... Now isn't the best time." Scott didn't dare risk a glance up at Warren.

"You're... Dumping me?"

"No!" Scott stood quickly. "It's just temporary!"

"So, I'm supposed to leave here now, a single guy, and wait for you to call me back into your life sometime?" Warren's voice caught with the lump in his throat.

"Yes... I mean. No! I mean..." Scott sighed. "I love you."

"Yeah, you said that already." Warren rolled his eyes, trying to keep up a brave facade.

"I just can't deal with being stuck in the middle of two worlds right now."

"How can you do this to me?" Warren snapped, stepping back. "Is this why you got so douchey about Julian, and the things I said about girls? You just wanted a reason to ditch me!"

"No!" Scott gasped. "No, I love you!"

"Stop saying that like it means nothing!" Warren yelled.

"I'm sorry, Angel." Scott placed his hand gently on Warren's cheek and stepped closer. "I just can't do this..."

"No." Warren said bluntly. "Look into my eyes, don't use that stupid visor as an excuse, just  _look_. Look into my eyes; tell me you love me properly. Use my real name, not some casual code name. And I want you to remember everything we've been through together."

"Warren, I- I-" Scott desperately tried to find the words, but subconsciously he knew that if he said it, he'd be in the mutant's arms again - kissing and touching. "I can't."

"Fine. Don't even try!" Warren growled. "I thought you wanted this. You chose me over your dad!"

"Angel, please!" Scott was crying freely now.

"No! I'm sure there are people out there - guys  _and_  girls - that would want me!"

" _I_  want you!" Scott sobbed. "Please! Don't go off with some other guy. That's something special we have - being the only ones to do-"

"No. You don't get to decide who I fool around with now, Cyclops! Goodbye!" And with that, he stormed towards the door.

"Warren, stop!" Scott ordered. Warren continued out the door, leaving Scott alone.

_Alone with his feelings._


	11. Dirty Little Secret

"Hey," Warren blushed when the door opened. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. "Can we talk?"

"Warren? How did you get to New York?" The boy in the doorway returned Warren's blush.

"Teleports have their uses." Warren joked nervously.

"Come in." The boy beckoned Warren into his room. The rooms at the Jean Grey School were far nicer than they were at the New Xavier School, where Warren was currently living.

"What happened at the party, in spin the bottle..." Warren started, as he stood awkwardly in the centre of the room.

"Yeah." The boy laughed. "That was weird."

"Julian, I need to tell you something..."

"Okay."

"I know that was more than a spin the bottle kiss. It was for me, and I could tell it was for you." Warren explained bluntly.

"I hardly know you..." Julian's blush returned.

"I think you're gorgeous." Warren whispered, running his fingers through Julian's hair, just how he liked to do to Scott.

"I'm not gay." Julian said quietly, but the way his eyes locked with Warren's told his true emotions.

"Neither am I." Warren smiled. "I'm just a friend that needs a favour."

"A favour?" Julian swallowed hard. He had the sweet innocence that Warren loved so much about Scott.

"Kiss me, Julian." Warren ordered.

"But I thought you were straight?" Julian looked up at Warren through a mess of black hair.

"Just do it." Warren whispered. "I know you want to."

"Have you been drinking?"

"Maybe a little." Warren shrugged.

"You should go."

"Just one kiss. If you don't like it, I'm gone." Warren brushed Julian's bangs from his face. "Please?"

For some reason, Julian obeyed. He pushed his lips roughly against Warren's and threw his arms around Warren's neck.

As their kiss deepened, Julian placed a single, metallic hand against Warren's cheek. It was cold and awkward, not at all like how things were with Scott. Warren pulled back.

"There." He whispered. "One kiss. You want me to leave now?"

Julian simply shook his head before kissing Warren again. He pulled Warren closer, as if he could never kiss him enough. In some ways, Julian's actions were a lot like Scott's were. And that made Warren feel less guilty about what he was doing.

Warren felt a small tingle against his chest as Julian began to undo the button on his shirt telekinetically. It was insanely sexy, yet Warren still couldn't get Scott off his mind.

"I don't know why I want you." Julian panted. "But I really, really do!"

He jumped up and wrapped his legs around Warren's waist, kicking his wings in the process.

"You are so gay!" Warren laughed, before kissing Julian once more.

"Hypocrite." Julian whispered. Warren didn't want him. He wanted to get the pain of Scott's words out of his system. He was hurting, and Julian was just a distraction.  _A sexy, excitable distraction._

"Warren?" Julian pulled back gently. "Why are you here?"

"I needed to kiss you." Warren shrugged, dismissing the question.

"Why?"

"Because..." Warren had two choices: tell the truth - that he was just using him - and risk sounding like a complete douche; or lie and spare Julian's feelings. "Because I felt our kiss meant more than it should have."  _Lie_. "And something happened back home that upset me,"  _Truth_. "And made me realize how much I needed you."  _Lie_.

"Wow." Julian ran his hand through Warren's hair. "Are you okay?"

"I am now." Warren whispered.  _Lie_.

"Perfect." Julian kissed him again and the pair fell back onto the bed beside them.

"Wait." Warren pushed up from Julian's body slightly. "Shouldn't we lock the-"

Before Warren had even finished the sentence, Julian raised his hand and the green hue took hold of the metal to show the use of his telekinesis and a loud click followed.  _Wow, fooling around with a telekinetic is hot!_  Warren thought to himself, but shook the thought away when images of Scott and Jean together pushed into his mind.

"You're totally gorgeous." Warren whispered, trying to yank his thoughts away from Scott Summers.

"You're the angel." Julian smiled. Warren allowed his body to drop back down against Julian's. What he was doing wasn't wrong. It was normal. He'd just been dumped by someone who meant a lot to him. Someone who, just days ago, was intent on them spending their lives together. Warren just wanted to hurt Scott as much as Scott had hurt him. He also wanted to do something to take his mind away from the reality. He kissed Julian more, running one hand down the side of the boy's toned body. He was incredibly hot, Warren couldn't deny that. But he also couldn't deny the fact that Scott was hotter. Scott was hotter than anyone Warren had ever been with.

Warren scolded himself mentally; he was trying not to think about his now-ex-boyfriend.

"What's wrong?" Julian asked, pulling back.

"Nothing." Warren shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"You can tell me." He tickled Warren's feathers gently, similarly to the way Scott would.

"You're a lot like Cyclops sometimes." Warren frowned at his own confession.

"Why? Have you done this with him?" Julian raised his eyebrows.

"No. Of course not!" Warren lied. Sure, they weren't together now, and sure, Warren wanted to hurt Scott. But revealing their relationship was going too far. "I just spend a lot of time with him, training and classes and stuff. And you remind me of him slightly."

"Oh, joy." Julian rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"What?"

"I remind you of a crazed mutant terrorist. Thanks." Julian sat up beneath Warren.

"Not that Cyclops.  _My_  Cyclops." Warren felt his heart skip a beat at the words.  _Mine. At least, he was mine_. "The sweet, innocent, teenage Cyclops."

"Yeah, I'd rather not be like any Scott Summers. He's kind of annoying."

"No, he's not." Warren laughed.

"Can we stop talking about your irritating teammate please?"

"Good point." Warren kissed Julian again, but still he couldn't stop thinking about Scott. He tried everything to erase the ruby quartz sunglasses from his mind, but nothing worked. Just then, there were three soft knocks at the door.

"Julian, are you awake?" A muffled, female voice came from outside. Julian pulled back sighing.

"Let me guess, some girl from class that you're meeting up with to do  _'homework'_?" Warren whispered, raising his eyebrows.

"Bingo." Julian smiled, kissing Warren on the cheek lightly. "Sorry."

"Slut." Warren teased. Julian turned and scribbled something on a small scrap of paper on the nightstand.

"Call me, yeah?" He handed Warren the paper.

"I don't have a phone." Warren frowned.

"Buy one." They kissed one last time. "Thanks for tonight, Angel. Next time we won't be interrupted."

 _Next time._  The words echoed in Warren's mind as he walked towards the large, bay window and ducked out.

He couldn't help feeling that wherever he was, whoever he was with, he was always going to be just some guy's dirty little secret.


	12. JK

Warren weaved the paper through his fingers slowly, as he sat alone in the kitchen of the New Xavier School. It had taken him all night to get home, even with the private jet his future self had lent him. But the other thing given to Warren by his older counterpart was what was running through his mind currently -  _a cell phone_. He felt the small, hard rectangle push against his thigh, through the pocket of his jeans. Maybe it had been a mistake for Warren to tell his future self that 'some girl' had given him her number. Maybe people would ask questions. Warren unfolded the wrinkled piece of paper. The string of digits was scribbled roughly in the centre of the rectangle, with the letters  _'JK'_  signed above -  _Julian Keller_. Warren sighed heavily. Things with Julian would be different. What he had with Scott involved feelings, and feelings always messed things up. With Julian, it was nothing but attraction. They were just having harmless fun. These were the only two homosexual experiences Warren had ever had and they could not be more different. Scott - the boy who he had formed an unbreakable attachment to, who he loved unconditionally and who had broken his heart. Julian - the boy he kissed in a stupid game at a party, who he had planned to use as a rebound and who was unbelievably gorgeous.

"Are you okay?" Warren lifted his head to see Scott stood in the doorway.

"Fine." Warren replied bluntly.

"You look tired." Scott sighed, approaching him. "I'm sorry. I didn't sleep well either."

"Actually, I went out. I've only just got back." The reply was curt.

"Where were you that meant you didn't get back until seven am?" Scott sounded shocked, and slightly hurt.  _Good_ , Warren thought.

"New York."

"Are you kidding me?" Scott hissed, sitting quickly beside Warren.

"I needed to get away."

"What's this?" Scott snatched the paper from Warren's fingers.

"I was with someone." Warren said mysteriously, still not so much as glancing at the boy who broke his heart just hours ago.

"Who's 'JK'?" Scott furrowed his brow, his jealousy clear.

"You're a smart guy, Cyclops." Warren stood and walked over to a metal worktop on the other side of the room, leaning against it casually. "Figure it out."

"It's someone's initials, right?" Scott looked over the room at Warren through his glasses, hurting when the boy did not meet his gaze.

"Genius." Warren replied sarcastically.

"Jane?" Scott suggested.

"Nope."

"Janet?"

"No."

"Jenna?"

"No."

"Umm..." Scott searched his mind, determined to find out who the slut was that had her hands on his boyfriend. "Jess?"

"Nope." Warren watched his hands as his twisted his fingers together impatiently.

"Jasmine?"

"No."

"Julia?"

"Close."

"Julie?"

"No."

"Juliana?"

Warren smiled at the floor. "Drop a vowel."

"Juli-" Scott stopped as the realization hit him, his voice dropping to a low whisper. "Julian Keller."

"Bingo." Warren looked at Scott for the first time, purposely repeating the word Julian had used last night. He knew Scott didn't know that Julian had said that word, but Warren still enjoyed saying it.

"Warren..." Scott's eyes lined with tears behind his glasses. "You said it was just a game." He rushed over to Warren. "I thought he was straight."

"Well, he did tell me he wasn't gay when I first saw him." Scott relaxed slightly at the words _. Maybe nothing happened? Maybe they just talked?_  "But I'm not convinced, considering the way - just minutes later - he was kissing me and taking off my clothes."

"No." Scott's heart broke.

"Relax, Mr Possessive." Warren was proud of the pain he was inflicting on the boy he loved. It was a strange feeling. "We were interrupted before anything happened."

"You kissed him?" Scott bit his lower lip to stop it from quivering.

"Yeah. I did. Numerous times." Warren smiled smugly. "He gave me his number and we're going to meet up sometime."

"No, you're not." Scott snapped.

"Why do you care?" Warren shrugged, looking away casually.

"Because I still love you, Angel! I always will!" Scott whispered desperately.

"You dumped me. That means I'm allowed to seek comfort in someone else."

"Yeah, some trashy girl in a bar. Not a guy! Not  _him_!"

"Why not? He's a lot of fun!" Warren argued.

"I can't see why you'd want to do this to me." The way the words caught slightly in Scott's throat provoked a small feeling of guilt to bloom in Warren's chest. But it was quickly washed away when he remembered how Scott had ditched him.

"Scott," Jean entered the room, stopping when she saw the close proximity of the couple. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"

"No, it's fine." Warren smiled at Jean, casually taking Julian's note from Scott's hand. "Scott and I were just discussing how long is an appropriate amount of time to wait before calling someone you spent a night with."

"Please don't tell me that yet another girl has fallen for that 'I'm-insanely-wealthy' smile." Jean rolled her eyes, heading for the refrigerator.

Warren laughed. "You could say that."

"You're such a slut, Warren." Jean giggled, sitting at the table with a glass and a bottle of milk.

"Yeah." Scott forced the word out past the lump in his throat, as he moved away from Warren and sat beside Jean. "He is."

"Anyway, I'll leave you guys to chat." Warren was wary about leaving Jean alone with Scott, but he had to get over that. Scott wasn't his anymore. He headed for the kitchen door. "See you in training."

He quickly made his way to his bedroom and shut and locked the door. Sighing heavily, he collapsed onto his bed.

He removed the enigma of a device from his pocket and stared at it intently. His future self had shown his the basics of how to use it, and Warren worked hard to recall that information. He pressed the small button on the top and the screen flashed into life. At the bottom of the screen were the words  _'Swipe to unlock'_. Warren tried this and, sure enough, an organized home screen appeared on the device. He tapped the screen lightly over the icon that seemed to display a small, landline phone handset. He assumed this was how you used the 'telephone setting'. A grid of numbers appeared and Warren took out the paper. He typed each number in slowly, pressing the screen a little too hard each time. Once he was sure the number was correct, he pressed the  _'Call'_ button. Warren lifted the phone to his ear cautiously. This was super weird. A series of beeps sounded from the device before Julian's voice spoke up.

"Hello?" The sound of the word sent shivers down Warren's spine. Maybe this whole  _'using-Julian-to-get-over-Scott'_  thing was actually going to work.

"Hi, it's Warren." He replied shyly.

"Oh, hi. Umm..." There was sound of some slight commotion from the other end of the phone, as if Julian was changing his position, possibly to be somewhere less public. Once the sound died down, he spoke again. "Everything okay?"

Warren swallowed hard. "I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up sometime?"


	13. Pancakes

Julian wanted to make a statement. He knew Warren was rich, and he wanted to show him that he wasn't intimidated by money - he had plenty of his own.

Usually, if people heard that a Keller and a Worthington were 'dating', they would love it. It would be a way for their families to connect which meant more money. But not now. Now, no one would _like_  it, let alone love it. Not only was it a gay pairing - something Julian's parents frowned upon at the best of times - but they were also both mutants. And right now was not a good time to be a mutant.

He had told Warren to enter via the balcony, so that it was less likely they'd get caught. This way, Julian also got to show off the incredible view of the New York skyline from the penthouse suite he had booked for them.

He wandered outside slowly. He was a confident guy but this was different - it was new. And it provoked a strange feeling in his stomach.  _Fear? Guilt? Excitement?_ Julian couldn't tell, so he chose to ignore it.

He looked out over the edge of the balcony, down to the streets below. They were so small, dotted with tiny yellow lights where the cars passed. It was beautiful and one of the many reasons Julian loved living so near to New York City.

In a way, Julian felt slightly guilty for making Warren travel all the way to New York for the second time in as many days, but he wanted to be close to home, in case something happened.

He sighed heavily and leaned against the intricate balcony railing.  _Warren Worthington III_ , he thought to himself,  _Out of all of the guys you know, you had to pick him, didn't you? And not just that, a time displaced Warren that could be sucked back into the past any day._  He pushed his face into his hands.  _Maybe this wasn't such a great idea._

"You okay?" Julian's whole body jumped at the sound of the voice behind him. He turned quickly.

"Jesus Christ, Warren! Do you want to give me a heart attack?" He took a deep breath to steady his shocked, racing heartbeat. But when he looked up to see Warren, his heartbeat shot way back up.

"Sorry." Warren blushed. "Nice place. I mean, really. Wow."

"You're not the only rich mutant, Mr Worthington." Julian joked.

"I see that, Mr Keller." A small smile appeared on Warren's lips as he approached Julian.

Warren's mind drifted to the first night he had spent with Scott. The hotel they had stayed in wasn't a budget motel, but it definitely wasn't anything near as beautiful at this. Maybe Julian was good for him? They came from similar backgrounds, they both wanted the same thing from their meetings - fun - and they were both used to casual, sexual relationships.

"You look good." Julian whispered, running cold, metal fingers down Warren's bare chest. Warren had told himself that he had chosen not to wear a shirt because it was easier to fly that way, but he knew that wasn't true. He hadn't worn a shirt in a way of making it very clear what he wanted from their meeting.

"Thanks." Warren smirked. "You don't look too bad yourself."

"Come on." Julian whispered, as he planted the first kiss of the night softly on Warren's lips. He took his hand and pulled him inside.

"Wow." Warren laughed. "Isn't the whole penthouse thing a little too much for one night? I mean, we're not even going to use most of this stuff."

"Maybe." Julian shrugged. "But this way, if you need anything, you don't have to leave the room."

He wasn't exaggerating. Warren had been in a room like this many times before. It was more of an apartment really! There was even a full sized kitchen, full of every piece cooking paraphernalia one could think of.

"I just need you, Julian." It was a lie. Warren needed Scott. But he wasn't going to admit that - to anyone. Julian blushed, the strange feeling in his stomach returning.

"Have you ever been with a guy before?" The metal of Julian's hands chinked when they met behind Warren's neck.

"One." Warren replied a little too bluntly. Julian could tell there was a story there, but he didn't pry. "Have you?"

Julian shook his head. "Never."

"There's a first time for everything." Warren whispered seductively, before walking off to the kitchen.

"Hey!" Julian laughed. "Where are you going?"

He followed Warren into the kitchen and watched him route through a perfectly organized drawer of different sized saucepans.

"You want a pancake?" Warren turned to face him, holding up a specific saucepan.

"What?" Julian just about managed to suppress his laughter.

"Kitchens like these always make me want to cook something." Warren shrugged.

"But I thought we were gunna-"

"We've got all night, right?" Warren smiled, tossing Julian a posh, metal spatula.

"This is crazy!" Julian laughed.

"Come on!" Warren returned to laughter. He relaxed when Julian came over to him. He hoped it wasn't too obvious that this was just the only way he could think of to put off what they had come here for. Sure, he liked Julian and he really wanted to hurt Scott, but the guilt was already too much. He wrapped his arm around Julian's waist and kissed his hair sweetly in a silent 'thank you'.

"You ready for the best pancakes of your life?" He teased.

"This is so weird." Julian laughed.

But Warren had made a mistake. By doing this, he was showing Julian the real him. And suddenly there were feelings involved.

Suddenly, it was more.


	14. Curiosities

Warren risked opening his eyes. The light hurt and increased the pounding in his head. He was waking up with a hangover for the second time within three days. He felt the warmth of a body in his arms.

"Scott." He whispered, before placing a light kiss on the boy's spine.

"Huh?" Warren's eyes shot open when he heard the unfamiliar voice and fractured memories from last night came back to him. He moaned in embarrassment. The last thing he remembered was Julian discovering some sort of expensive, golden liqueur somewhere in the kitchen and pouring him a glass that was way too full.

"Good morning." Julian blushed, as he wriggled around to face Warren.

"Shit." Warren groaned. "What happened?"

"Relax." Julian chuckled quietly. "We ate pancakes, you drank a little too much and then I put you to bed."

"So, we didn't..." Warren trailed off unable to say the words.

"No. We kissed a little, but you were saying all this strange, drunk-guy stuff and I gave up."

"How romantic." Warren mumbled sarcastically.

"You sleep well?" Julian kissed Warren's forehead, making him frown. This was weird. There was far too much between them, something Warren wanted to avoid.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You're a lot less talkative than last night." Julian brushed his hair from his eyes casually, smirking.

"Oh god, was it that bad?" Warren moaned, burying his face in the pillow.

"You were talking about sunglasses. Like, a lot. That was kinda weird, I mean, don't you live in Canada?" Warren blushed.  _Scott_. His mind lit up at the thought. He was glad Julian hadn't made the connection.

"Don't listen to anything I say when I'm drunk." Warren mumbled, almost inaudibly, into the pillow.

"Trust me, I tried not to." Julian laughed. "Here's a tip - don't drink, you're not an attractive drunk."

"Ouch!" Despite everything, Warren couldn't help laughing slightly.

"But you're totally gorgeous when you're sober." Julian's whisper was soft and flirty.

"Julian..." Warren signed.

"What now?"

"Me and you, we can't... There can't be anything emotional between us. You know that right?" Warren rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"I know, man. Relax! It's just a little harmless flirting." Julian kissed Warren gently. It was kind of nice that Julian was so much less uptight than Scott. It was good to just have fun sometimes.

"Thanks, Keller."

"Aren't you kind of in the wrong country right now? Shouldn't you be getting back?" Julian was still smiling, obviously amused.

"Yeah, but I left a note." Warren shrugged.

"Seriously?" Julian raised his eyebrows, smirking.

"I think it was something about needing some space and to ask Scott about it." Warren laughed.

"Why Scott?"

"He owes me. Big time. So, I'm sure he can cover for me just this once." Warren lay on his front and stretched out his wings awkwardly.

"Why does he owe you? What did he do?" Julian pushed.

"That is something you don't need to know." Warren slipped out of the bed.

"Oh." Julian blushed in a way that made Warren's heart skip a beat. He really was gorgeous.

"I heard the Jean Grey School was pretty tight on rules right now." Warren sat on the edge of the bed, looking back at Julian. "Won't you get in trouble for sneaking out."

"Whatever. Wolverine hates me anyway, after I hit on Laura." Julian smiled fondly at the memory.

"Laura, as in, scary girl with dark hair and knives in her hands?"  _And the girl my ex-boyfriend thinks is cute_ , Warren thought.

"That's the one. She's like a daughter to him, so he wasn't too happy to see us together. Hey, doesn't she live with you guys now?"

"Kind of." Warren shrugged. "She's sort of just... Around."

"Yeah, she's like that." Julian sighed softly.

"You like her?" Warren lay down on the bed again, too lazy to actually continue with getting ready.

"We have a complicated history." Warren could tell that Julian had feelings for Laura. It was plain on his face. And for some reason, Warren felt slightly jealous. He didn't want to be with Julian like that, but he still didn't like the idea of them together.

"Maybe we can have a complicated future, Mr Keller." Warren winked at Julian, who promptly burst into a fit of laughter.

"I thought you were supposed to be the best flirt in whole of the X-Men!" He said, after calming his laughter slightly.

"Shut up!" Warren punched Julian lightly on the arm. "I wasn't thinking!"

"You're losing your touch, Angel." Julian sat up, the duvet falling away from his body and revealing his bare chest. Warren tilted his head slightly, his eyes tracing the boy's toned body.

"Could you be any more gay right now?" Julian chuckled.

"Challenge accepted." Warren whispered, before kissing Julian forcefully. Julian moaned softly, relaxing into the kiss.

It was the first kiss they had shared when Warren's mind was free from thoughts of his ex-boyfriend. He felt safe - comfortable.

"You're unbelievable." Julian smiled up at the beautiful, blonde boy above him.

"You're irresistible, Hellion." Warren kissed him again.

"Warren," Warren sighed at the tone of Julian's voice.

"What?" He moaned. He was so done with serious conversations.

"You said you'd been with a guy before." Julian's tone was cautious. "When?"

"Recently." Warren replied dismissively.

"Was he a mutant?"

Warren paused before responding. "Yes."

"Do I know him?" Julian pushed.

"Yes."

"What happened?" He trailed his metallic fingers over Warren's feathers. It was a strange sensation for Warren.

"I don't want to talk about it. Especially not with you." Warren stood from the bed, heading for the kitchen.

"Warren, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Julian quickly followed Warren.

"I think I should go." Warren pushed a hand through his hair.

"I asked," Julian began, taking Warren's wrist. "So that I'd know who my competition was."

Warren kissed him again, unable to stop himself. It was like a drug. With Scott, they would kiss and hug and whisper loving things when they felt like it, but with Julian everything was far more raw. He craved the feeling of danger and risk that crackled through his body whenever their lips touched. Yes, things between him and Scott were forbidden, but everything with Julian just felt...  _Bad_. And Warren enjoyed bad.

"As much as I'd love to stay here and make out with you all day, Mr Keller." Warren whispered when their lips parted. "I actually do need to get back."

"I know." Julian moaned. "Me too."

"Next time, I'm paying." Warren ordered, walking back over to the nightstand beside the bed. He retrieved his new cell phone and pushed it into the pocket of the jeans he had slept in.

"But-"

"No 'buts', Keller!" Warren pointed a warning finger at Julian. "And no alcohol next time, either."

"I look forward to it." Julian initiated one final kiss, before Warren headed to the balcony.

"Later, gorgeous." Julian swooned slightly at Warren's words.

"Call me." He commanded as Warren stepped out of view.

He then collapsed heavily onto the bed. There was no way he was going back to school today. A whole day of what the students called 'Triple T' (Training in Telekinetic Technique) was not something that appealed to Julian in the slightest. Most of the other telekinetics at the school were complete douchebags. He sighed loudly, wishing he could've have spent the day with Warren instead. However, it soon occurred to him that that thought sounded like 'feelings', so he pushed it to the back of his mind quickly. So many girls and only one of them had he ever thought of for more than their body before. How typical was it that the first guy he had ever tried anything with happened to be perfect?

He studied the way the metal of his left prosthetic hand glinted in the early sunlight as he held it above his face. The familiar green aura soon took hold and he was near-instantly holding a perfect, red apple from the fruit bowl on the nightstand. He took a bite of the perfect fruit, before groaning inwardly at his straying thoughts about last night. Keeping things feeling-free between him and Warren was going to be a real struggle. He locked his eyes shut, cursing himself, before taking another bite of the apple.

"Man, I'm so screwed."


	15. New Décor

"What the hell did you do?!" Scott snapped, following Warren into his bedroom and locking the door behind them.

"I stayed the night in a hotel." Warren shrugged, yawning.

"Do you have any idea how bad that was for me? I've had to lie for you all day."

Warren lay on his bed, his face pushed into the pillow, and closed his eyes. "I'm drained. I'm going to bed."

"The hell you are!" Scott yelled. There was a loud crash, causing Warren to jump up from the bed. He noticed rubble fall from the wall just above the height of where his wings would've been.

"Did you just blast a hole in my wall?" Warren stared at Scott in disbelief. "Are you insane?"

"Where were you, Warren?" Scott hissed.

"I was visiting a friend."

"Did that friend happen to have a green telekinetic aura?" Scott's hands formed into fists at his sides.

"Yes. He did actually." Warren smiled at Scott's jealousy.

"I can't believe you!" Scott lifted his glasses again, blasting another dent into the wall beside the first.

"What? I like him." Warren walked slowly in a circle around Scott. "And he booked us a really nice hotel room."

"I know you're just doing this to make me jealous." All of Scott's muscles were tense with anger.

"Not everything is about you, Summers. Julian understands me."

"I understand you!" Scott sounded hurt. "Better than anyone!"

"They why dump me?" Warren whispered, his lips close the Scott's ear.

"I didn't!" Scott argued. "I just said now isn't the best time for this."

"Oh, what's the difference?!" Warren's heart ached when Scott repeated the words.

"I still love you!" Scott's words sounded like a beg.

"Whatever." Warren sat back down on the bed. "But, if I  _was_ only using Julian to make you jealous, did it work?"

"Yes! Of course it did. I'm crazy about you!" Scott grabbed Warren's shirt and pulled him back up to stand in front of him.

"You know," Warren began casually. "It felt kind of nice waking up with him in my arms."

"No!" Scott punched the closet to his right a little too hard.

"Yes." Warren corrected. "He was so-"

Scott kissed him mid-sentence. There was more passion in their kiss than ever. Scott shoved Warren back onto the bed.

"Don't you ever go anywhere near that slut again!" He growled.

"But he's so gorgeous!" Warren moaned, pushing Scott more.

"Shut up!" Scott yelled.

"He has the most beautiful blue eyes." Warren knew it was a low blow, considering how conscious Scott was that they could never look each other directing in the eye, but Scott deserved it.

"Shut up!" Scott repeated. "Did you go all the way with him?"

"Why do you want to know?" Warren looked up at Scott and rolled his eyes.

"Yes or no?"

"No!" Warren snapped. "No, we just made out, okay?"

"No, that's not okay!"

"I like him. He's fun and exciting!"

"No!" Scott seemed to be angrier than Warren had ever seen.

"Just kiss me, you asshole!" Warren ordered. Scott didn't need to be told twice and was soon straddling Warren, their lips connected.

Warren dug his fingers into Scott's slim waist, moaning into his mouth.

"I was thinking about you." He growled. "Every damn time he kissed me, I was wishing it was you!"

"If he ever touches you again I'm gunna blast a hole through his chest."

"Did you know that his telekinesis is so advanced, he can take my clothes off by manipulating the matter on a molecular level?" Warren couldn't help it. Teasing and pushing Scott felt so good.

"Well, you can tell him that if he ever tries that, I'll- I'll-"

"You'll..?" Warren smirked.

"Just promise me you won't go back there!" Scott ordered, pushing his hand up under Warren's shirt.

"Sure." Warren shrugged. "I mean, that hotel was way too pricey for a one night stand. I don't know why I didn't just go to his school."

"Stop it!" Scott growled, his anger returning.

"No. You deserve this." Warren snapped.

"I don't deserve this!"

"You broke my heart, Scott Summers."

"I still love you!" Scott's heart was beating loudly in his chest.

"Well, maybe I'll learn to love Julian!" Suddenly, Warren felt a large, painful force impact his jaw.

"Did you just punch me?!" He yelled, clutching his throbbing cheek.

"I can't cope with the idea of you loving anyone else, Warren." Scott kissed Warren's face tenderly.

"I can't believe you!" Warren pushed Scott from his lap onto the bed and stood up.

"Warren!"

"No! Don't even try!" Warren felt the lump in his throat return. "I love you, with every aspect of my being, but you just dumped me because it was the easy way out. You can't expect to just have me whenever you want me. I'm not some toy you can play with when you're bored, Summers. You wanna know why I like Julian so much? Because it's simple. Just two guys fooling around, no one needs to find out and there's no bullshit feelings involved. He's gorgeous, fun and not a completely possessive asshole."

"Don't go! Please! I love you." Scott looked up at Warren, wishing that the boy could see his pleading eyes.

"You really need to stop saying that when you don't know what it means." Warren turned and headed for the door before the tears escaped his eyes. He couldn't let Scott see him cry.  _Ever_.

"I know what love is, Warren Kenneth Worthington III." Scott called, his voice unintentionally dropping as he said the finally words. "It's you."

"Goodbye, Scott. Don't talk to me, or even touch me, ever again."

"I want you back!" Scott begged.

"It's not that easy for you anymore." Warren wanted to run into Scott's arms dramatically, like they did in the movies. But after what had just happened, he knew he had to stand his ground. "I need to call Julian."

He left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Scott wanted to chase him, but what was the point? Yes, they still loved each other. But that was no way near enough anymore.

He lay on Warren's bed in the dark. He'd battled Magneto and it never hurt as bad as this. He buried his face in the pillow, Warren's scent calming him slightly. And finally, he allowed himself to cry.

How could he have been so stupid? Warren was right; he just took the easy way out. And because of that, he'd lost the boy he loved. But he needed to find a way to get him back. He couldn't handle knowing that Warren was out there with Hellion. Not when he could change it.

And he definitely intended to change it.


	16. Serious Lack Of Simplicity

The phone rang twice on the nightstand before Julian answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Julian." Warren sounded hurt. "You at school?"

"No, I'm just about to leave the hotel." Julian sat down on the bed, pushing all of his focus onto the phone call.

"You've been there all day?" Julian could picture Warren frowning - it was cute.

"Yeah, couldn't be bothered with school today." Julian replied dismissively. "Listen, I know there's something wrong. Are you going to tell me about it?"

"That's why I rang." Warren took a deep, shaky breath. "Something happened and there's no one else I can talk to. I know we said no feelings, but you're the only one who might understand."

"No, sure, that's- that's fine." Julian lay back on the bed and looked up at the flawless, white ceiling, inset with tiny LED lights that shone like stars.

"Are you sure? I know this wasn't really in the job description." Julian laughed at Warren's choice of words.

"Just tell me, Warren." He ordered softly.

"Okay, so, this other guy I've been with..." Julian's eyes widened at the words.

"Yeah?" He pushed.

"I love him."  _Oh god_ , Julian moaned in his mind.

"Okay, does he feel the same?" Julian asked, although it was apparent in his tone that he had already lost interest.

"Yes. At least he says so. We were together, but he said he couldn't cope with hiding our relationship and he wasn't ready to come out yet." Julian heard Warren take another steadying breath. "We have to spend loads of time together in front of people, right? And he's under so much pressure right now, because of... Because of stuff that's happened in your time. And he just... He dumped me!"

 _Oh, come on, Warren!_  Julian thought _, I thought you were a strong, male mutant, not some whiney, teenage girl._

"Wait." Julian sat up. "Was this before or after you came to the school?"

"Before." Julian relaxed slightly. He didn't want to be stuck in the middle of some romantic relationship. "He left me the morning after the party."

"Okay, so, what's happened now?" Julian rolled his eyes. He didn't really care. Sure, he wanted to be there for Warren, but he wasn't the best with relationships, or advice, for that matter.

"Promise me you won't hate me?" Warren begged.

"Sure." Julian sighed.

"I may have been using you. Slightly." Warren confessed. "To make him jealous and to take my mind off him."

"Did it work?" Julian asked, ignoring whatever it was in his chest that hurt slightly at Warren's words.

"Yeah, I mean, he totally hates you."

"Thanks for that." Julian moaned sarcastically. The last thing he needed was some guy from the New Xavier School with a reason to kick his ass.

"Sorry." Julian could almost hear Warren's blush. "But when I got back today, we had this huge argument, and we kissed and he punched me in the face and then he said he wanted me back and... Argh! I'm just so confused!"

"Yeah, I have to agree, that guy is kind of the embodiment of mixed messages."  _Kissing you and then punching you? Wow, Warren. You really need to raise your standards._

"But I don't know what to do. I love him so much. He means more to me than anyone I've ever met. I just can't handle him thinking that I'm just gunna be around whenever he wants me." Julian was barely listening, his mind filtering through the information Warren had just given him. What was he supposed to say?

And suddenly, everything fell into place, and Julian realized exactly what was going on. He gathered the evidence in his mind. One - who was the one person they spoke about when they were making out back at school?  _Scott Summers_. Two - Warren was ranting about sunglasses when he was drunk. Who is it who's most defining feature is their red sunglasses?  _Scott Summers_. Three - Warren said he had to spend a lot of time with him, logically, that would put him on the original X-Men team. Who is the perfect leader of that team?  _Scott Summers_. Four - Warren also said the guy was under a lot of pressure because of something that had happened in the present. Who screwed up the most in their future?  _Scott Summers_.

Julian slammed his face into the bed.  _Oh my god, why did I have to choose the guy who was dating the biggest mutant psychopath to ever lead the X-Men?_

"Julian? Are you still there?" Warren's voice crackled from the phone. "I'm sorry about this, I just-"

"Please tell me I'm wrong and you weren't dating Scott Summers?" Julian moaned. There was no reply. "Jesus, Warren! Couldn't you have picked someone who's not going to blow my goddamn head off?"

"He's a really amazing guy." Warren argued. "People just need to give him a chance."

"Who knows about you two?" Julian screwed his eyes shut; he was way too tired to deal with this right now.

"Just you and, you know, the other Cyclops..."

"Oh god. Could this get any worse?!" Julian ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. "I'm going to have two psycho-murderers chasing me around Manhattan for messing with their boyfriend any day now, aren't I?"

"Hey! Scott isn't a murderer!" Warren argued, protectively.

"You have so screwed me over, Warren Worthington." Despite everything, Julian simply shook his head and smiled at no one. "What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing." Warren replied a little too bluntly. "I just needed someone to talk to."

"You gunna be okay?" Julian asked sweetly.

"Yeah." Warren sighed. "I just don't know what to do. I mean, I really do love him, and I want to be with him. But doesn't that make me kind of a push over?"

"I'm the guy who's been with far too many girls, but chose to have feelings for the only one that happened to be a clone of my headmaster."  _And you_ , Julian thought. "Do you really think I'm the best person to give out relationship advice?"

"Do you think I should get back with him or not?" Warren laughed slightly at Julian's words.

It took a moment for Julian to answer, as he considered the options. "If you do get back with him, does that mean we have to stop meeting up in hotel rooms?"

"Julian!" Warren warned.

"I was joking." Julian laughed. "Listen, I want you to be happy. I know that's super cheesy, but whatever. I think that if you go back to him, you will be. But you can tell him that if he ever punches you again or if he even considers dumping you for another stupid reason, I'm gunna kick his ass."

"Thanks, Julian." Julian could sense Warren's smile. "Now, get your ass back to school."

"Do I have to?" Julian moaned, pouting to the empty room.

"Yes," Warren laughed. "I know I said no feelings, but I can't say I wouldn't be slightly sad if I heard Wolverine cut you to pieces for missing his  _'Decapitation for Dummies'_  class."

"Actually, today was all day Triple T." Julian replied matter-of-factly.

"I don't even want to know what that is." Julian couldn't help but smile at the sound of Warren's laughter. "Later, gay boy."

"Bye, homo." Julian retorted. The called ended.

He dropped the phone down on the bed beside him and once again took to staring at the ceiling.  _Why couldn't things just be simple?_


	17. Reunion

Warren pushed the door to his room open slowly. No one had seen Scott since Warren's return, so he assumed he was right where he'd left him. But the room seemed far too dark and quiet. He flicked the lights on and cautiously stepped inside.

His heart immediately warmed at the sight before him. Scott was sleeping soundly on Warren's bed. His glasses were askew slightly, revealing his closed eyes. From the rosiness of his skin and the way his eyelashes clumped together slightly, Warren could tell Scott had been crying. He sat gently on the bed. He was glad Julian had agreed that getting back with Scott would be the best thing for him in the long run. That's what he wanted; he just needed to know he wasn't being a total idiot.

He straightened Scott's glasses carefully, and stroked his fingers through the mutant's bangs. He couldn't help thinking he was insanely lucky to have him. Even after everything that had happened over the last few days, he still loved him. Warren was more than willing to look past Scott's mistakes if it meant they could be together again.

"Warren..." Scott mumbled tiredly.

"I'm here." Warren smiled at the sound of his boyfriend saying his name.

"Oh," Scott stretched slightly, waking his body. "I- I just lay down for a second."

"It's okay."

"I should-" Scott sat up quickly. "I should probably go. I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up." Warren whispered, kissing Scott softly. It felt so nice to have him in his arms again.

"You're not mad?" Scott sounded more than surprised.

"You've been a total asshole to me the last few days, and I shouldn't forgive you for that." Warren tried to maintain a stern expression, but his smile broke through. "But I love you, Scott. And if you still want me back, I'm willing to give you a second chance."

"You are?" A wide smile claimed Scott's lips.

"I am." Warren closed his eyes, relaxing. "You still want me?"

"More than anything!" Scott pushed a strong kiss onto Warren's lips. "I was so stupid to think I could live without you, Angel."

"I know." Warren replied, only half joking.

"You're so perfect for me." Scott's fingers went back to their favourite place - stroking Warren's wings. "Now, I don't want you to ever walk away from me ever again, okay?"

"You've got yourself a deal there." Warren's smile grew.

"When you left earlier," Scott furrowed his brow slightly. "You said you had to call Julian."

"Yeah."

"Why?" Scott still didn't like the thought of them talking. Julian was too perfect. Scott knew he could never compete with him.

"I had to ask him if he thought getting back with you was the right thing to do."

"What did he say?" Scott's heart skipped a beat.

"That he wanted me to be happy. And that he knew you made me happy." Both boys smiled at the words. "And that if you punch me again he's coming after you."

Scott's cheeks turned as red as his ruby quartz glasses. "Sorry. I was just so angry at the thought of you two together."

"I know. I shouldn't have pushed you, baby. I know it was unfair and cruel." Warren kissed Scott's forehead. "I'm sorry."

"So, he really told you to get back with me?" There was a hint of confusion in Scott's tone.

"Yep, without him, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Wow, maybe I got him wrong."

"I told you he's a nice guy." Warren laughed.

"Hmm..." Scott pouted slightly. "I wouldn't say  _'nice'_. He still made out with you."

"He wouldn't have if you hadn't have dumped me." Warren teased.

"Oh! That reminds me. I haven't actually asked yet..." Scott took Warren's hands in his own. "Warren Worthington III, will you be my boyfriend?  _Again_?"

"Of course."


	18. Texting

Warren lay awake contemplating the events of the last week. Scott had been more flirty with him since they got back together, although he still ensured he didn't take any risks that could possibly lead to the others finding out the truth. He had told Warren that - while hiding his relationship had kept his mind from training slightly - losing it had destroyed his focus altogether. Warren liked to believe that he was good for Scott - that he was helping him.

Even though Scott objected, Warren had rang Julian twice in the past week, just to check up. It was nice to hear his voice. Considering the strange way their relationship had begun, it was remarkable how close they had become as friends now. Warren had to admit that he missed Julian.

Over the past few days, Warren had been learning more controls on the cell phone his future self had given him. The Stepford Sisters had been more than happy to help teaching him to text. Warren was a boy that was certainly used to the attention of random girls, but their high amount of giggling and flirting made even him uncomfortable. Scott wasn't too pleased about it either. Watching three girls prance around his bisexual boyfriend excitably really was not what he wanted to see. Especially when he knew those girls were just Warren's type when he had first joined the X-Men - bitchy, self-centered and 2/3 blonde. If the new Xavier School had the cliques and strange society of a normal American high school, the Stepford Cuckoos would be the cheerleaders. Scott would be the nerdy guy no one spoke to with childhood issues and the secret ability to kick your ass. Warren would be the quarterback. Julian would be the sexy, mysterious home-schooled boy who everyone secretly wants. Warren shook his mind free of the thought. He had Scott now.  _Scott was everything._

Warren fumbled around the items on his nightstand until he found the solid cuboid that was his new cell phone. Picking it up, he felt for the 'Lock' button and pressed it. He winced slightly as his eyes slowly began to adjust to the brightness of the screen. And then, he worked through the steps the sisters had taught him until he was happy with the message and pressed the 'Send' button a little too hard.

_Hey. How's things at nerd school? ;) Warren x_

Julian's response came almost instantaneously. Warren's heart skipped a beat.  _Was the kiss too much?_

_Wow. Somebody's getting used to their new cell.;)  
Fine. How's life in the great, white north? Keller xxx_

 

_I'm just THAT good. ;)  
_ _Amazing. Scott's been so great. I can't thank you enough for convincing me to go back to him.  
_ _Also, who signs off texts with their surname, Keller? ;) Warren x_

 

_Yet another thing Angel is good at? Does the list never end? ;)_   
_I'm glad you're happy, Warren. :)_   
_Shut up. I like it. It makes me sound mature... And sexy. Keller xxx_

 

Warren smiled up at his phone. Julian was always so much fun.

 

_I'm good at everything, Hellion._   
_You are mature, Mr Keller. ;) Warren x_

 

_Except making pancakes. ;)  
And sexy? ;) Keller xxx_

 

_Ouch. ;)_   
_I have a boyfriend, Julian. Warren x_

  
  
_So do half the girls I've hooked up with. ;) Keller xxx_

 

Warren blushed to the empty room. He was always the one doing the hardcore flirting with Scott. He wasn't used to this.

 

_Slut. ;) Warren xx._

 

Warren felt a small flurry of guilt in his chest. Maybe this was wrong. Maybe he should've told Julian that there would never be anything between them. But he couldn't. Part of him still got a flood of adrenaline every time Julian said something remotely suggestive. And he couldn't ignore the fact that he enjoyed the attention.

"What are you thinking, Angel?" Warren jumped at the sound of the familiar voice, knocking his wings hard against the wall.

"Scott... What- what are you doing here?" He gasped, sitting up quickly. The moonlight pitched in through the window, casting strong shadows over Scott's face and glinting in his sunglasses.

"Everyone's asleep, right?" Scott whispered. "I locked the door. This is the closest thing we're going to get to 'alone' here."

"Wow." Warren pulled Scott down to sit beside him. "I am so in love with you right now."

"Kiss me." Scott ordered in a gentle whisper. Warren quickly obeyed. It had been far too long since they'd kissed. Catching moments to tug each other into empty rooms and locking doors for a minute or two was more torture than actual satisfaction. To have a real kiss was spectacular. All thoughts of Julian quickly faded from Warren's mind. He wrapped his arms around Scott and pulled him closer, moaning slightly against the boy's lips.

"I really missed you, Scotty." Warren whispered softly. Scott ran his fingers over Warren's feathers.

"You too, Angel. And these." He tapped his fingers lightly on Warren's wings.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I love the way your new uniform shows them off so well. It's terrible when I'm trying to concentrate and be a good student, and you walk in all sexy and..." Scott sighed with pleasure. "Mmmmm."

"Could you be any more hypocritical?" Warren laughed quietly. "You know exactly what you're doing when you glance my way before subtly biting that delicious lower lip of yours in training."

"You mean like this?" Scott bit his lip lightly as the moonlight illuminated his face in the most perfect way.

"Come here, Cyclops." Warren practically jumped on his boyfriend, pushing him back onto the bed and kissing him passionately.

"I love you so much, Warren." Scott panted, before pulling Warren's lips roughly back to his own.

They stopped their kiss abruptly when they heard a faint noise. It took a moment for Warren to register that it was his cell phone vibrating under his pillow - his mind too fuzzy from the emotion in the kiss.

"I have a text." He smiled, proud of his newfound knowledge of technology.

"Wow." Scott kissed him once. "Aren't you a clever boy?"

"Don't be so patronizing!" Warren laughed quietly. "It's surprisingly difficult to use."

"Oh yeah? Let me try!" Scott sat up quickly and pushed his hands under the pillow, searching for Warren's phone.

"No," Warren giggled, trying to take Scott's hands. "You'll just break it."

"Aha!" Scott held the cell phone up triumphantly, before bringing it far too close to his face. His fingers darted over the screen randomly. "Okay, so... Unlock... Umm... Then... Ooh! Found it! _Messages_... Okay,  _'1 New Message, JK'_. Seriously? You're texting him now?"

"We're just friends Scott, don't be so jealous." Warren kissed Scott's cheek softly.

"I know." Scott smiled, turning his attention away from the phone. "He can't do this to you." He kissed Warren forcefully, before quickly pulling away.

"Nope. Only you can do that, Scotty." Warren leant up and kissed Scott's forehead.

"Okay," Scott took up the phone again. "So...  _Open_... It says..." He cleared his throat and began speaking in an exaggerated low tone. "'Oh, Warren. Just wait! You'll soon-" Scott stopped mid-sentence, dropping the phone onto the bed, his mouth hanging open.

"Umm... Scotty?" Warren reached out to touch his boyfriend's face, but Scott knocked his hand back. "What's wrong?"

" _'Just friends'_ , right?" Scott's voice wavered slightly with his emotion. "I can't believe you."

"I don't know what you're-"

"Goodnight, Warren!" Scott stormed from the room before Warren could even manage to form a reply.

Confused, he picked up the phone to read the text.

 

_Oh, Warren. Just wait! You'll soon be added to my list of conquests. ;)_   
_Also, sorry for the late reply. I was taking a shower. Shame you couldn't have joined me. ;) Keller xxx_


	19. The Real Julian Keller

Julian answered his phone quickly when it began to ring in his hands.

"Hello, Mr Worthington." He smiled to no one. "Why are you calling at such a late hour?"

"Look,  _Hellion_." The stern tone in Warren's voice unsettled Julian slightly. "You can't just send people stuff like that!"

"What?" Julian laughed. "It was just a joke!"

"Well, my boyfriend didn't see it that way!" Warren snapped, his irritation clear.

"Well, your boyfriend needs to stop being such a possessive ass." Julian teased, despite his slight hurt at Warren's words.

"Julian! This is serious! Don't be such a... A..." Julian laughed as Warren searched for an appropriate insult.

"Look, I sent that text to get your attention. It worked, didn't it?"

"Yes. But it also succeeded in making my boyfriend storm from my bedroom in the middle of the night! Congratulations."

"You think I wanted this to happen?" Julian was shocked at the accusation. "Sure, I like you. And you're more fun than nearly all the girls I've been with this year, but you and Scott... You're really good for each other. And you love him. You think I'd purposely want to ruin that for you?"

"Yes." Warren's response was curt, and felt like a direct punch in the face.

"Wow. Do you just assume I care about nothing but how many helpless people I can drag into my bed?" Julian's voice wavered slightly.

"I don't assume that, Keller. I know that."

"Then you obviously don't know me." Julian took a deep breath before saying the words.

"Why did you even tell me to go back to him if you wanted me so bad?" Warren's anger was clear in his voice.

"Don't flatter yourself." Julian hissed.

"Why not just lie and say I'd be better off without him, so you could have me all to yourself?"

"Because I don't lie, Warren. I'm not going to hide the fact I care about you. And I'm not going to pretend that I don't think you're too good for him, after what he did. But I'm also not going to tell you that you'd be better with me, because I know that's a lie. You two are perfect for each other." Julian's voice dropped slightly. "And according to you I'm just some slut who enjoys ruining perfect relationships."

"Don't try to contact me again, Hellion. I'm done with you. Stay away from me and my boyfriend." And with that, Warren hung up.

Julian threw his phone across the room, the green aura quickly taking his eyes _. Is that really how people see me?_  He thought, his anger growing.  _Does everyone just assume I'm some emotionless robot that just cares about money and girls?_

The furniture in the room began to shake slightly with his emotions.

 _Of course_ , he continued in his mind,  _I'm the rich guy, so I've never known pain, right? People forget so easily that I lost part of my own body fighting for their cause. They have no idea what it's like to wake up and be told you're now a double amputee. But still, I'm the slut with no feelings? I'm the one who doesn't understand when people are hurting? I'm the one who gets pleasure out of destroying relationships?_

He stood from the bed he was sat in slowly. The whole bedroom felt like it was shaking now, but he didn't care. He was done with people judging him. He assumed that Warren would be the one person to understand. Out of everyone Julian knew, Warren was the one who was most similar to himself. But  _no_. Apparently,  _no one_  would understand.

 _Fine_ , he thought,  _if that's who they think I am, that's who I'll be. Maybe it would be easier not to care. I could do that. I could be heartless. I could break up relationships. I could be the slut they assume I am. I'm giving up trying to please people who have such a low opinion of me! But most of all, I'm giving up on him. He can tell me not to contact him all he likes, but he doesn't need to. I don't want him now. Now that he's shown me what he really thinks of me, I'm glad we never got any closer. I'm also glad Scott did read that text. Now he might see Warren in the way Warren apparently sees me. That'll show him! I'm no longer going to put up with being portrayed as a slut, when people like Warren are seen as so perfect. I'm gunna-_

"Hey, Julian?" There were a few strong knocks on the door. "It's Bobby. Are you okay? Practically everything in this wing is moving!"

"Sorry." Julian closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths until the furniture around him settled. "Just a nightmare."

"You sure? You wanna talk about anything?" Bobby suggested, his voice muffled by the door.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Julian called. "Sorry."

"Alright. If you're sure..." Julian heard Bobby's footsteps get quieter as he moved away. He couldn't help feeling slightly guilty for possibly waking and panicking his friends, but he quickly reminded himself that new, heartless Julian feels nothing for other people, and pushed the emotions away.

As he slumped back into his bed, he raised his hand and his cell phone quickly returned. He was surprised to see the lack of damaged, considering how hard he had thrown it earlier.

 _I'll show Warren what it's like when I really destroy a relationship,_  he thought.  _If he wants a slut, I'll give him a slut._


	20. Trust

"Hey!" Scott protested as Warren pulled him into his room and locked the door. "What do you think you're-"

"Jeez, Scotty! You can't just storm off without letting me explain!" Warren hissed.

"What's to explain, Warren? I know there's obviously still something between you two." Scott shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his face away from his boyfriend.

"Don't be stupid! I love you. Julian's just... I don't know... Lonely." Warren took Scott's arm gently. "There's nothing between us, I swear."

"Then why was he sending you things like that? That's more than just friends!" Scott snapped, pulling his arm away.

"He's just a flirt, Scotty. Like I am." Warren placed his hand softly on Scott's cheek and directed his face back to look at him. "I really need you. No one else. Just you."

"But-"

"Listen, do you trust me?"

"Well, yeah, of course! But-"

"No  _'buts'_ , Scotty. Just believe me when I say there's no one in the world I'd risk our relationship for!" Warren kissed Scott gently, and was relieved to feel that he didn't pull away.

"Can you at least let me check your phone? I feel like I'd be more comfortable if I knew everything."

"Yeah, sure! Anything." Warren replied happily, before taking his phone from his nightstand and passing it to Scott. "Here."

"You have a new message from  _him_." Scott looked up from the screen, wrinkling his nose.

"Damn it. I told him not to contact me! I'm sorry, Scotty."

"You spoke to him?"

"I called him up, yeah." Warren shrugged.

"Why?" Scott stepped back slightly.

"To tell him to leave us alone." Warren furrowed his brow slightly. "Why else would I call him?"

"Okay." Scott turned his attention back to Warren's cell phone. He flicked the screen awkwardly until he managed to open the message.

_Hey, gorgeous. Thanks for the phone call. I booked a hotel for next week like you said. See you then. Keller xxx_

"Are you kidding me?!" Scott pushed the phone against Warren's chest far too hard.

"What? I don't-"

"You're unbelievable!" Warren took Scott's shoulder before he could turn away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" He hissed.

"You liar!"

"I haven't lied to you! What are you-"

"You just couldn't wait, could you?" Once again, the tears began to amount behind Scott's glasses.

"What?" Warren finally risked a glanced down at his phone. His eyes widened as he read the message. "Oh... Shit!"

"You... You..." Scott shook his head, struggling to find the end of the sentence.

"Scott, you have to believe me! That wasn't... I couldn't..." Warren pushed a hand through his hair. "He must have sent it to the wrong number!"

"Sure. Yeah, of course." Scott sneered sarcastically. "There's nothing going on between you at all!"

"There's not!"

"Oh, give up, Warren!" Scott hissed. "Did you even want to get back with me? Or do you just get some kind of thrill out of cheating on your boyfriend?"

"I didn't cheat on you!" Warren's fingers dug into Scott's arms. There was no way he was losing him over this. "I couldn't do that. I love you more than anything!"

"Maybe you didn't. You were just planning to!"

"No," Warren's voice was weak. "No! You can't believe I would do that to you!"

"I'm done." Scott shoved Warren away from him roughly and held up his hands, demonstrating his surrender. "I'm done with you. And I'm done with the X-Men."

"You don't mean that, Scotty. You're just angry. I get that, but don't take it out on the team!" Warren pleaded. He felt guilty enough already, he couldn't let Scott leave the team over this.

"No! I should've left with my father when I had the chance! There's been so many times when I've wanted to walk out. But I didn't, I had to stay strong for the team. And I had to stick around for the boy I was falling in love with. But now the team think I turn into some sort of psycho in the future, and the boy I love is screwing someone else!"

"Scott! No!" Warren pulled Scott closer, fighting the tears the threatened to break free. "Please..."

"What is it that makes him so much better than me, Warren?" Scott didn't push Warren away; instead, he stood perfectly still. The pain was paralyzing.

"Nothing. He's not... You're perfect, Scotty." Warren kissed him once.

"Is it his mutation? His perfect, harmless mutation? Do you like that?" Scott's voice wavered slightly.

"Scott, don't be stupid." Warren ran his thumb over the frame of Scott's glasses. "Look at this logically - I'm in love with you. What reason would I have to choose some random guy over you? You're everything."

"You're nothing." Scott replied bluntly, his voice hauntingly calm. "Not anymore."

"Don't walk away from what we have!" Warren begged. "Please, just sleep on it. Don't make your decision yet. Don't leave the X-Men because of something that's between me and you."

"Fine." Scott finally looked up from the floor, his eyes connecting with Warren's behind his glasses. "But for the X-Men. Not for you."

"Scotty, I love you." Warren begged. "I would never even think about wanting another guy-"

"I don't want to hear it, Warren." Scott stepped back from his boyfriend.

"Please-"

"No." He snapped. "We're done!"

"You're dumping me...  _Again_?" Warren could hardly believe it. He'd only just got him back. "But I- I didn't do anything!"

"Well, now you can, you lying cheat!"

"Scott, don't do this. You know I'd never do that to you!" Warren reached for Scott's hand, but Scott quickly pulled back.

"Isn't this what you wanted,  _baby_? Didn't you want the freedom to go and explore the sights of New York?" Scott's anger peaked. He was done with this stupid game of cat and mouse they were playing.

"Fine!" Warren snapped. "I thought you trusted me! I thought you'd at least give me a chance to try to explain whatever the hell is going on here, but no."

"Don't try to turn this on me!" Scott sounded hurt for a second, before he quickly masked it with anger once again.

"Then, just listen to me!" Warren ordered.

"Grow up, Warren. Sometimes you have to face your mistakes like a man. I have. Why can't you?" Scott turned and headed for the door. Warren grabbed his wrist, pulling him back against his chest.

"I'm not letting you go, Scott Summers." Warren kissed Scott forcefully, but was quickly pushed away.

"Why don't you save your kisses for your little slut in New York?" Scott hissed.

"If you want me to be with him so bad, maybe I will." Warren threatened.

"I don't care anymore. Do what you want." Scott took a step back once again. "If you leave now, you can be there by midnight."

"Fine. At least he trusts me!" Warren snapped.

"Hey, didn't he have a thing with Laura?" Scott's mouth turned up at the edges slightly.

"Why? What are you-"

"What better way to figure out my sexuality than to make out with the hottest girl in school?" Scott really enjoyed giving Warren a taste of his own medicine. It felt good. And he deserved it.

"Fine." Warren growled.

"Fine." Scott shrugged and left the room.

Warren quickly found Julian's name in his phone and hit  _'Call'_.

"Hey, Warren." Warren could hear the strange satisfaction in Julian's tone, but he couldn't figure out why it was there. "How's my gorgeous Angel?"

"Shut up." Warren ordered. "I really am not in the mood for any of you bullshit right now."

"Why did you call?" The amusement was lost from Julian's voice.

"Why the hell did you send me that text?" Warren growled down the phone.

"I was just messing around, gorgeous."

"Whatever." Warren was too angry at Scott's words to hear anything Julian was saying. "I'm coming to New York. Now."

"Oh... Ummm... Sure! Where do you want to meet?" Julian couldn't mask his surprise at Warren's words.

"I want to go somewhere I can drink. A lot. And somewhere no one knows us."

 _Screw Scott_ , he thought,  _I'll give him a reason not to trust me!_


	21. Laura Kinney

Scott stormed through the New Xavier School, Warren's words still running fresh through his mind.

"Scott!" Laura called from behind him. "Jean said that you were looking for me."

Scott quickly grabbed Laura and kissed her, meaning he was promptly rewarded with the sound of her claws being released. But he didn't let go. Despite the fear of soon having two adamantium blade-shaped holes in his abdomen, Scott continued kissing her until he felt her relax slightly.

"Hi." He whispered when their lips parted.

"Hi." It was the first time he had actually seen her smile. It was beautiful, of course. "Next time, you may not want to take me by surprise like that."

She held up her right hand and winced slightly as her claws retracted.

"Sorry." Scott blushed.

"Why..." Laura didn't really know how to form an appropriate question.  _What was she supposed to say after a kiss like that?_

"I was thinking about what I would have left behind if I had chosen to go with my dad that day." Scott stepped closer to her and pushed his hand into her hair gently. "I don't want to leave you, Laura. I really like you."

"I- I like you too, Scott. I mean, I think..." She wrinkled her nose and pouted slightly.

"You think?" He laughed.

"Emotions are not really my strong suit." She blushed slightly, immediately regretting it. Laura Kinney does not blush, she thought.

"I can help you with that." He whispered, softly brushing his lips against hers. It was strange. She'd never been treated like this by a guy she really cared for since Julian. She shook the thought away quickly.

"Scott," She sighed. "You are angry."

"No, I'm not." He lied.

"You cannot hide your emotions from someone with enhanced senses." She whispered.

"I just had an argument with someone, that's all." He shrugged, as if it was just a debate over who got the biggest burger in the cafeteria.

"Are you okay?" Laura of all people knew not to pry too much into other people's issues.

"Fine." He lied again.

"Okay," She looked away from him slightly. He didn't need to know that she knew he was lying.

"Can I kiss you again or do you sort of want to stab me through the chest right now?" Scott plastered on a fake smile as he tried to push the memories of his fight with Warren from his mind.

"Guess." She smiled up at him. Scott treated her like a normal person, and she liked that. He made her feel awkward and young, but normal. She wasn't just 'the emotionless clone of that angry guy that's always on the news' to Scott.  _She was just Laura_. There were few people that treated her that way.

"I'm gunna hope for kissing." He laughed slightly.

"Maybe you should try it and see." She said the words like a dare. Scott quickly followed the not-so-subtle command and kissed her lips slowly. She draped her arms over his shoulders and relaxed into his body. Although Scott's mind was still slightly on Warren, he couldn't ignore the voice in his head that told him he was definitely not Kinsey-six-gay. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

It was a strange feeling for Scott. Despite the fact Laura could probably kick the asses of anyone in this place, she felt far more fragile in his arms than Warren ever did.  _Maybe it's just a girl thing_ , he thought dismissively.

"Laura! Scott!" Scott pulled back quickly to see his older self stood in the doorway. "This is still a school, remember? Can you take your PDAs somewhere else please?"

"Sorry." Scott fiddled with his glasses awkwardly.

"Scott, can I talk to you in private for a moment?" Present day Scott asked his younger self, feeling suitably uncomfortable.

"Sure." Scott turned to Laura. "Can I meet you in my room? I'll be up in a minute."

"Okay." Laura eyed them both suspiciously, sensing something was off, and then promptly left the room.

"What happened to Warren?" Older Scott asked when he was sure Laura was out of earshot (eg. A floor up in the elevator).

"He cheated on us, if you must know." Scott snapped.

"With who?" Older Scott couldn't hide the slight hurt in his tone. He didn't want them to be together, but he still had feelings for Warren even now.

"Some guy from the Jean Grey School." Scott growled.

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter." Scott pushed past his older counterpart and hit the call button for the elevator. "I've got to go."

"Where is he now?" Older Scott questioned.

"I'm assuming down in New York, with...  _Him_." Scott shrugged dismissively. He tried to look like he didn't care, but it was impossible. Instead, he stepped inside the elevator and willed for the doors to close faster so that he could be left alone.


	22. Boîte de Nuit Vert

"Warren-"

"Kiss me." Warren ordered as soon as he met Julian outside the club in downtown Manhattan.

"What?"

"Just kiss me." He repeated. This time, Julian didn't hesitate. Instead, he propelled himself towards Warren, almost knocking him off his feet, and joined their lips.

"I thought you were with Scott?" He whispered with a sly smile.

"You really screwed that up for me, didn't you?" Warren growled, before biting Julian's lower lip roughly. "Get your sexy ass inside, now."

Julian leant away from Warren's body for a moment and flashed a smile at the bouncer, who promptly allowed them in.

"I thought I said somewhere no one knows us?" Warren purred, wrapping his arm around Julian's waist possessively.

"It's hard to find a club in New York where I'm  _not_  known." Julian shrugged. "Don't you remember what it was like when you were back home? Pretty much everywhere knows families like ours, Warren."

"Whatever." Warren kissed Julian's hair as they entered the club. "Just make sure nothing goes public about us."

"Deal." Julian smiled. It felt good to be bad for once.

"So, is this place any good?" Warren's tone was clipped and curt.

"I was hoping we wouldn't be in the club very long." Julian purred, attempting to live up to his slutty persona.

"Yeah, good luck with that." Warren replied sarcastically, seeking the bar. "I need to get drunk."

"How sexy." Julian rolled his eyes.

"You're paying." Warren ordered, leading Julian towards the bar. "It's the least you can do after screwing over my relationship."

"I technically own this place, so sure." Julian shrugged.

"What?" Warren raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah. This club may have some Keller funding." Julian smiled smugly.

"Well, I guess it's definitely different to the Worthington investments." Warren resisted an impressed smile.

"It's a lot more fun than a boardroom full of old guys in suits." Julian lent over the bar and smiled his rich boy grin at the barman, who promptly made his way over.

"Wow. We are far too alike sometimes." Warren mumbled, the words almost inaudible against the music and voices.

"Mr Keller," The barman announced happily as he approached them. "What can I get you?"

"What do you want to drink, Warren?" Julian asked, as the barman looked over Warren with a quizzical expression.

"Surprise me." Warren's words really lacked enthusiasm.

Julian turned back to the barman and shot out some orders that Warren couldn't quite hear.

Watching the lights whir around the ceiling, Warren couldn't help but think that Scott would've hated this place. He temporarily wondered what his again-ex-boyfriend was doing now, but when his mind strayed to thoughts of Scott and Laura together, he reined it back in quickly.

"Here." Julian pushed a pint glass filled with an extremely unfamiliar looking liquid into Warren's hand. "Drink."

"What is it?" Warren questioned. He didn't really trust Julian right now, and the drink looked more than dodgy.

"A special, 'mutants only' blend." Julian whispered in a strangely sexy tone in Warren's ear.

"He knows we're..." Warren trailed off.

"Half of the people who work here are like us, Warren." Julian chinked his own glass lightly against Warren's. "Not that my parents ever need to know that."

"You are a lot less innocent than I thought." Warren furrowed his brow slightly as he looked down at Julian.

"Yeah, and if you're drunk, it's a lot more likely we'll both wake up even less innocent tomorrow morning." Julian purred. "So, just drink your drink, yeah?"

Warren looked down at his glass, trying to ignore how hot Julian's words were getting him. He noticed the colour of the liquid was strangely similar to the bright green aura of Julian's telekinesis.

"Did you..." Warren trailed off again, pointing at the glass in an accusing manner.

"The colour? Nice touch, right?" Julian stepped closer.

"So, what? This is like  _your_  drink or something?" Warren was slightly confused. Worthington Industries was all about paper work and stock shares.

"Kind of." Julian ran a single, metallic finger around the rim of the glass slowly. "They were creating a drink specifically for mutants. It uses different chemicals or something; I'm not great on the science. But they asked me to design the taste and appearance."

"But you're not even old enough to legally drink, how could you design something alcoholic?" Warren looked down at the drink in his hands again.

"Because my name is Keller and I can do whatever I want." Julian pushed his hair from his forehead casually.

"I have to admit, I'm kind of jealous of the investments your company makes, right now." Warren confessed.

"Aww. Is the Worthington name suddenly looking a little dull?" Julian teased.

"No! We're just... More mature." Warren argued.

"Just drink your drink, Warren." Julian commanded casually.

"Does it taste as good as you, Mr Keller?" Warren flirted.

Julian licked his lips subtly at Warren's words.  _So, this is being a slut_ , he thought.  _I could really get used to this._

"To not remembering any of this tomorrow." Warren held up his glass. Julian knocked his against it slightly.

"Exactly." He laughed, as Warren quickly downed the drink. He promptly followed.

"You suck at designing drink flavours, Keller." Warren discarded their empty glasses on the bar and took Julian's hands, the metal cool against his skin.

"Oh? You think you could do better?" Julian allowed his eyes to lock with Warren's, casually noting that, even in the large jacket he wore to hide his wings, Warren still looked gorgeous.

"No, I think  _you_  could do better." Warren pulled Julian closer, as people began to bob and sway around them to the beat of the music.

"What?" Julian laughed.

"Your lips taste so much better, Julian." Warren whispered, his lips grazing Julian's jawbone.

"You're such a bad flirt." Julian smirked.

"Oh yeah? So, you didn't like that at all?" Warren leant his forehead against Julian's, wanting their bodies to be as close as possible.

"I didn't say that." Julian whispered and kissed Warren's lips for the first time in over a week. It felt right, there was no guilt or pain hiding in the back of Warren's mind like there had been before. Now, it just felt  _good_ , and Warren got to thinking that maybe Julian's drink was stronger than he let on.

"So," Julian's sly smile returned when they parted. "What happened with you and Scott?"

"You know exactly what happened." Warren narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I know what I did. But I thought he'd just dump you again," Warren felt his anger build inside. "I didn't think you'd come here, to me."

"Well, I did." Warren stated, attempting to dismiss the conversation.

"Why, Warren?" Julian pushed, wanting to know just how far his manipulation had separated them.

"He doesn't trust me... I just...  _Argh_! I'm so fed up with him thinking I'm some sort of slut!" Julian laughed at the irony in Warren's words. "What?"

"Nothing." Julian shook his head, smirking.

"And then he said he was going to  _'figure out his sexuality'_  with Laura." The memory of Scott's words hurt Warren slightly. Julian suddenly pulled back.

"Wait. Laura Kinney?"

"The one and only." Warren rolled his eyes.

"You mean Scott Summers is trying to get with Laura Kinney right now?" Julian raised his eyebrows. "My  _ex_ , Laura Kinney?"

"Yep. Which is why I'm here, with Laura Kinney's ex, Julian Keller." Warren replied in a patronizing and impatient tone.

"Why would she even agree to that?" Julian felt a stab of jealousy. It was no secret that he still had feelings for Laura.

"I think she has a thing for him." Warren shrugged, clearly trying to get off the conversation. "When he was planning to leave, she was just as miserable as me and Jean."

"Oh." Julian's confident, exciting façade disappeared.

"Can we not discuss our exes?" Warren clicked his fingers in front of Julian's face, bringing him back to reality and the club that surrounded him. "Tonight is about me and you."

"Yeah?" Julian bit his lip, pushing Laura as far from his mind as possible. Warren was right -  _it was just them now._

"Yeah." Warren smiled and kissed Julian softly.

"You know, this is a great place to pull girls." Julian teased. "Especially when they hear it's partly  _my_ club."

"Too bad." Warren growled. "Because tonight you're all mine."

"So, what do you want to do now, Angel?" Julian was happy with Warren getting anything he wanted tonight, as long as they woke up in bed together tomorrow morning.

"More alcohol."

"Seriously?" Julian laughed.

"I'm drinking until you look attractive." Warren smirked, slightly amused at his own joke.

"Don't even pretend you can hide the fact you think I'm gorgeous." Julian pulled back and gestured to the barman through the crowd, who nodded in return. Warren wondered if he was a mutant, because there was no way someone without enhanced senses could've seen Julian over the huge amount of bodies between them.

"I'll go pick up the drinks." Warren suggested, ignoring Julian's comment. Their lips connected again, before Warren made his way back over to the bar.

"So, you and Mr Keller?" The barman said casually, placing the two glasses on the bar.

"How well do you know him?" Warren quizzed.

"His parents practically let him run this place when they first funded it. I was the first guy he hired. We've spent a lot of time together, building this up from nothing." The barman explained with a shrug.

"Right." Warren moaned carelessly, although he couldn't ignore the slight jealousy he felt at the thought of Julian spending so much time with another guy.

"So, are you and him..? Do you..?" The barman made some strange hand gestures to fill the spaces he left in the sentences for words he felt too awkward to say.

"We're just having fun." Warren took the drinks and headed off before he could be asked anything more uncomfortable.

"Hey!" Julian took Warren's wrist and pulled him through the crowd, spilling the drink slightly. "You see that girl up there?"

Warren trained his eyes in the direction Julian was pointing. About ten feet away, atop a circular, raised platform, a girl - who could not have been more than five years older than the boys themselves - danced provocatively around a pole. She wore a tight, forest green miniskirt with a white stripe down the left hand side and a matching crop top. Her long blonde hair was pulled into two pigtails, which were curled slight at the ends. Warren noticed her strange choice of green lipstick and green eyeshadow. He soon realized that it was not a choice at all. Although the dancing lights splashed a rainbow of colours around the club, there was one clear theme -  _green_. Warren rolled his eyes.  _Could Julian be any more narcissistic and self-obsessed?_

"Yeah. What about her?" Warren quickly downed the second glass of Julian's terribly flavored, green drink.

"That's Roxanne. She has limited telepathic abilities. She can send out messages to other people's minds, but cannot receive them. Interestingly, her gift only works on other mutants." Julian smiled up at her fondly. "Which makes her very useful here."

"Have you slept with her?" Warren asked bluntly.

"Maybe." Julian's smile gave away far more than his speech.

"You pulled a stripper? I'm very impressed, Mr Keller." Warren teased.

"She's not a stripper." Julian argued. "She's just a dancer. The uniform stays on."

"The suitably  _green_  uniform, I see." Warren wrapped his arms around Julian's waist and pulled him closer.

"What?" Julian laughed. "My club, my colour scheme."

" _Attention mutants!_ " Roxanne announced telepathically from the platform. She continued to dance as she projected the thoughts, pausing only to flash Julian a flirty smile. " _We'll be closing the club soon, but please be aware that this is purely for the humans. For all of you guys..._ " She paused as she flicked her body around the pole at impressive speed. " _Mutie Party all night long!_ "

"And that," Julian's expression showed clear pride. "Is why her mutation is so useful here."

"So, what now?" Warren kissed Julian quickly, unable to resist. A sneaky smile took Julian's lips.

"Now, the  _real_  party begins."


	23. Fragile

"You are nervous." Laura noted, pulling back from the kiss she shared with Scott.

"Yeah, you commenting on the fact you know how I'm feeling is kind of freaky." He laughed.

"I feel like I have to comment on it when you are making it so obvious." Laura was spectacular at noticing others emotions, she just wasn't sure how to act around those emotions once she discovered them.

"Anyway, I'm not nervous, I'm just-"

"Intimidated?" Laura suggested. "Scared? Anxious?"

"No!" Scott couldn't help relaxing slightly as he laughed at her strange way with people. "Well, maybe slightly intimidated."

"Why?" She furrowed her brow.

"Because it's you." Scott smiled, sitting down on Laura's bed with a heavy sigh.

"Why does that make a difference?" Laura's confusion grew as she sat beside him.

"Because of, you know, your past. And what you've been through lately." Scott fiddled mindlessly with her long, black hair.

"Oh." Laura's face grew dark at the mention of her past.

"I don't want to hurt you." Scott whispered.

"You do not see how ironic that is, do you?" She smirked, expelling the claws from her right hand.

"I know." He laughed, thankful when she retracted the claws. "I know, it sounds stupid, but I worry because you feel so much more fragile than some of the other people I've been with."

"Fragile?" Laura raised her eyebrows, slightly insulted at his statement.

"Not in a bad way?" He offered.

"Honestly, I am far less fragile than your Jean Grey." She flicked her hair proudly. It was clear Laura wasn't really Jean's biggest fan, even though no one really knew why.

"I know." He laughed. "You're just... Little."

"Little?" She pulled back slightly.

"No!" Scott exclaimed, fearful he'd insulted her. "No! You're not little - definitely not little!"

"So, now you are calling me overweight?" She raised her eyebrows, a cheeky grin on her lips.

"No!" He pushed his palm against his forehead. "Ugh. I'm so bad at this!"

"It's okay." She giggled. "I understand."

"Really?" Scott frowned slightly in confusion.

"No, but I have been told saying that to someone who is not feeling great is reassuring." Both teens laughed. "I do not like to pry, Scott, but is there something wrong?"

"The argument I said I had earlier?" Laura nodded, taking Scott's hands. "It was with Warren. He hurt me and now he's convinced he didn't do anything wrong and it's not his fault, and..." Scott sighed, stopping himself before he said too much.

"How could it be his fault? The angel is perfect." Laura's attempt at sarcasm was more amusing than the actual words. She sounded awkward and disjointed and it brought a smile to Scott's face.

"Yeah," He sighed again. "He certainly likes to think so!"

"He means a lot to you." Laura narrowed her eyes slightly, attempting to understand Scott more.

"How did you-"

"Your heartbeat races when you even say his name, Scott."

"He's my best friend." Laura could tell it was a lie, but she didn't question it. "Out of the five of us, Hank was always studying, Jean was quite closed off, Bobby was a little immature, and Warren was just the one I could relate to most."

Even without her enhanced senses, Laura would've known he was lying. Any would've known that. Scott and Warren were polar opposites. Warren was probably the one on the team who was least close to Scott when they were back home. They were always bickering or winding each other up. Most of it stemmed from the fact they craved each other's attention. They both knew the exact ways to get under the other's skin and they used that to their full advantage. There was no one they could ever be mistaken for best friends.

"Can I attempt to take your mind away from him?" Laura suggested.

"I'd like that." Scott blushed slightly. Laura pushed her lips softly against Scott's and he kissed her back slowly. He knew she was really attractive and that he did like her; there was just something in his mind telling him this was wrong. He should be with Warren. As much as Scott hated him for happened with Julian, he still loved him. Warren was like a safety net for Scott - no matter what happened, he was there, from the moment they first met. But now he was gone and Scott was free falling with no one to catch him. He pushed the thought away quickly - he was an X-Man! He was strong, and he could cope with independence...  _Couldn't he?_

Laura moaned softly against his lips and pushed her cool hands up under his shirt. Scott wasn't lying when he said he was intimidated. Before finding the X-Men, Laura has been on the streets, selling her body for enough money to get by - both as a weapon, and as an escort. She was a strong young woman, and Scott couldn't help feeling intimidated by that slightly. He knew she could kick his ass in a fight, even without her powers.

He pushed his insecurities away. Warren had hurt him, and he wanted to hurt Warren straight back. Laura was gorgeous and she liked Scott, she made that clear in her actions. Scott deepened their kiss slightly, forcing thoughts of Warren and Julian from his mind.

He pushed her shirt up the side of her body slightly, causing her to pull back. Scott worried that maybe he'd done something wrong, but the smile on her face reassured him.

"Scott," She whispered, running her hands down his body. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"


	24. Popular

"Hi, Julian." A tall, pretty brunette with a perfectly curved body and an almost illegally short skirt smiled as she passed Warren and Julian on the dance floor.

"Who was that?" Warren's tone showed that he was clearly impressed.

"Rebekah." Julian smiled at the memory of the beautiful girl. "Teleport."

"You've slept with a teleport?" Warren raised his eyebrows.

"Haven't you?" Julian teased.

"Is there a girl in this club that you haven't slept with?" Julian wrapped his arms around Warren's neck and pushed their bodies closer as they swayed to the beat of the music.

"Ummmm..." Julian scanned the room mockingly. "Nope!"

Another girl passed, awarding Julian a flirty blush as she did.

"Sarah. Her mutation makes her extremely flexible. Like,  _extremely_!" Julian smirked. "That was fun."

"What about me?" Warren couldn't deny that he was slightly tipsy now - Julian's mutant-blend drink bringing a comfortable fuzz to his mind, pushing away thoughts of Scott.

"What about you?" Julian kissed Warren quickly.

"In six months' time, when I walk past you with your latest conquest - like these girls are doing now - what will you say about me?" Warren twisted Julian's dark hair in his fingers.

"Hmmmm. Probably something like..." Julian paused, searching for the correct words. "Warren. He has the most beautiful wings. To define him... The best I ever had."

"I would tell you to lower your expectations, but I know that's gunna be true." Warren teased.

"You're so arrogant!" Julian laughed.

"You love it." Warren kissed Julian and pulled their bodies closer together.

"Attention mutants!" Roxanne, the telepathic dancer spoke aloud. Warren looked up to the podium where she leant provocatively against her pole. She seemed to have a similar relationship with the pole to what Warren had with his wings. There was nothing in the world that made Warren more unique than his mutation - it gave him his identity. Roxanne's identity was her pole. She obviously believed she was nothing more than a dancer at a club.

"We have someone very special here tonight!" She continued, a cheesy fake smile on her lips.

"Oh god." Julian moaned, shaking his head and smirking in disbelief.

"Someone who made this whole thing possible." Warren couldn't help pulling back slightly when Roxanne through her arm out towards Julian. "Mr Julian Keller, everyone!"

Julian shook his head again, laughing slightly, but Warren could tell he absolutely loved the attention.

"Come on, Roxie. Who does announcements like that in a nightclub?" He yelled through his laughter.

"I want you to all give Mr Keller lots of attention tonight, girls!" She ordered cheekily, before swinging around her pole again, signalling the end of her speech.

"Oops." Julian winked at Warren as a stream of far too excitable female mutants made their way towards him.

Warren shook his wings and pouted slightly to show his irritation. "You're unbelievable."

"Ladies!" Julian laughed smugly. "Leave a note at the bar with your name, mutation and number and I'll get back to you soon."

He turned to Warren and wriggled the fingers on his right hand slightly, the green hue promptly taking the metal. Warren felt himself being pulled towards Julian until their bodies were pushed firmly together again.

"I'm booked for the night." Julian smiled up at Warren.

"Slut." Warren tried to resist returning Julian's smile, but failed terribly.

"All yours, Mr Worthington!" They kissed again. There a chorus of disappointed and confused sounds from the girls around them.

"You sure you wouldn't prefer any of those extremely hot girls, Keller?" Warren teased.

"I'm sure. Tonight, it's all about what you want." Warren felt his wings twitch slightly against his will, causing Julian to laugh.

"What?" Warren furrowed his brow.

"You do realize that whenever I say something suggestive or flirty, your wings do this extremely obvious, little flick?" Julian ran his fingers over Warren's feathers.

"No, they don't." Warren protested, blushing slightly. He hated anyone knowing how he was feeling. Especially Julian - he was smug enough already.

"Warren," Julian lent up, his lips less than an inch from Warren's ear. "I'm going to give you the best night of your life. You won't be able to get my face out of your head for months."

Warren cursed inwardly when he felt his wings flutter.

"Told you so." Julian loved to see that he was getting to Warren.

"Well, your aura shows slightly whenever we kiss." Warren countered. He had noticed the slightly green glow to Julian's eyes whenever their lips parted, but had previously decided not to mention it.

"No, it doesn't!" Warren raised his eyebrows accusingly. "Okay, maybe it does. But that's not because of you."

"Oh yeah?" Warren smirked.

"Shut up." Julian laughed in defeat.

"Make me." Warren growled, causing the green hue to return to Julian's eyes. They kissed passionately. Warren was in love with the simplicity of their relationship. When he kissed Scott, he was made to feel like there should never be anything between them, like what they were doing was a sin. But the way Julian kissed him felt exciting and right. With Scott, he felt like if anyone saw them, they'd be made to feel ashamed. But he wanted people to see him with Julian. He loved the obvious jealousy displayed by the mutants around him when they saw that he was the one to bag the spectacular Julian Keller.

"You know," Julian purred. "There are some private rooms upstairs."

"What are you suggesting, Keller?" Warren bit Julian's lip lightly before allowing him to reply.

"I need to get you alone, Angel."

"I'm more than happy with that, Hellion."

"Go to the bar, tell Tommy to hold room number three and get us some drinks." Julian ordered, the green glowing brighter in his eyes. "See the stairs over there? Go straight up, second door on the left. I'll be waiting."

"You do this for all your defenceless conquests, Mr Keller?" Warren smiled at the green tone to Julian's perfect blue eyes.

"Just the ones who deserve it, Mr Worthington." Julian replied as he backed away, then quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Warren slowly made his way through the hot wave of bodies.

He made eye contact with the barman - who Julian had referred to as Tommy - and he quickly made his way over.

"What can I get you?" There was a strange sharpness to his voice.

"Mr Keller says hold room three and two more of what we've been drinking all night." Warren replied sternly, attempting to show his authority.

"I didn't realize that he was... One of  _them_." Tommy avoided eye contact with Warren as he poured their drinks.

"One of them?" Warren raised his eyebrows.

"A dirty faggot." Tommy stated bluntly, locking his eyes with Warren's. "I thought he was a real man."

"You disgusting, little-"

"I'll put that on his tab, shall I?" Tommy spoke as if he had said nothing previously, pushing the glasses across the bar.

Warren narrowed his eyes and shook his head slightly, taking the drinks.

He thought Julian and Tommy were close? That's what he had insinuated earlier. How could someone change their opinion so much due to something as petty as sexual orientation? Surely, being a mutant meant that you were supposed to tolerate and respect others despite their differences?

Warren pushed the thoughts away as he made his way up the stairs. He wasn't going to let some pathetic homophobe ruin his night. He took the second door to his left, as Julian had directed.

"Hey," Julian looked up from where he sat on the edge of the bed. He blushed slightly. Sure, he wanted to be a slut. But maybe Warren wasn't the best place to start. As much as he tried to ignore them, he definitely had feelings for Warren.  _Why didn't I just go for any of those girls Roxie sent over?_ He thought, as he eyes connected with Warren's.  _Why him?_

"Hi. This is... Wow." Warren was amazed at the decor of the room. It was actually...  _Nice!_  It didn't feel like some trashy room above a club. It felt secluded - the noise from the people outside just a gentle hum.

"Warren, I need to tell you something." Julian flicked his hand and the click of the lock echoed through the room.

"I'm so done with talking." Warren whispered, pulling Julian up from the bed by his shirt and kissing him.

"But I-"

"No." Warren placed a single finger over Julian's lips, silencing him. "Just kiss me."

"I really need to-"

"No." Warren kissed him again, gently at first, but soon passion took over.

Julian gave up. Maybe it was a good thing Warren shut him up before he told him how he was feeling. Maybe it would've just ruined everything.

"Warren," He broke their contact very slightly. "Are you sure you want this?" 


	25. Throwback

Scott took a deep breath, trying to hide his emotions from himself, but the wavering within it simply shook him more. He lay on his back in Laura's bed, her warm body curled up close beside him, sleeping peacefully.

He'd barely slept all night. Instead, his mind took to punishing him for all of the stupid mistakes he had made recently. All of which involved one foolish, arrogant, narcissistic, irritating, gorgeous, lovable and simply perfect boy.

Scott Summers had never felt guiltier in his entire life. This was a boy who had to come to the future after his older self murdered their father figure. But he could run away from that. All of the crazy 'mutant genocide' bullshit that was floating around the Cyclops of the present day was something young Scott could ignore. Because it wasn't him that had done any of it - not yet anyway.

But the way he treated the boy he loved was all his own fault, and there was no running from that.  _Ever_. Especially as he had to see that boy every goddamn day and act like nothing ever happened between them.

The thought crossed his mind that maybe he wouldn't see Warren today, and he relaxed slightly. However, he soon remembered why Warren might not return in time for training and felt seriously ill - Scott remembered where Warren was, and, more significantly, who he was with.

Scott squeezed his eyes closed, shutting out the ruby-tinted world. It was all his own fault. The thought haunted him. Scott had pushed Warren away, and practically dared him to seek comfort in some other guy. Unfortunately for Scott, 'some other guy' was more than just that. Julian Keller and Warren Worthington III were perfect for each other. They didn't clash like Warren and Scott did. While both Julian and Warren grew up in private education, being showered with their parents' wealth, Scott grew up in an orphanage, or being tossed from foster family to foster family. When Julian and Warren enjoyed bending the rules and breaking free of authority, Scott ensured he stuck firmly to the rules set by authority figures that he deemed fit to take charge. Where Julian and Warren had million-dollar smiles and perfectly sculpted bodies, Scott had ugly, red sunglasses and a tall, skinny form he hadn't quite grown into yet. While Julian and Warren nearly always got what they wanted, Scott was always set on ignoring his own needs for the benefit of those around him. And if he was bluntly honest with himself - it  _sucked!_

A tear attempted to sneak from Scott's eye, but he blinked it away quickly. This was his mess; he had to pay the price for his own mistakes. Warren might never want him again after the lack of trust he'd displayed yesterday, and Scott could be helpless to change that.

But the thing was, Scott  _did_  trust Warren, more than anyone in the world. The truth was, Scott was a coward when it came to love. Especially when that love was directed towards another guy.

Locking his eyes tighter, Scott allowed his mind to drift back to the day he first met the boy with the white wings.

_Scott, Hank and Bobby were called into Professor Charles Xavier's office early one spring morning. Bobby, of course, was moaning about wanting a lie-in after all that training and how nothing could seriously be more important than his 'beauty sleep'. Hank promptly made a crack at how Bobby really needed it, earning him a gentle punch on the arm from the cryokinetic teen. Scott remained silent. He still wasn't comfortable with other people just yet, which was the main reason he was so confused when the professor had requested that he lead the X-Men._

_"Students," The professor spoke up, his voice low and commanding, but allowing a slight hint of compassion into the tone. "I would like you to meet your new team member, Warren Worthington III." Scott noticed how the boy stood beside the professor cringed slightly at the sound of his full name, bringing a smile to the red-eyed mutant's lips for the first time in days. "Warren, this is Henry McCoy, Scott Summers and Robert Drake."_

_"It's Bobby!" Bobby corrected quickly._

_Warren stepped into the light slightly and Scott was immediately struck by how beautiful he was. His hair was a warm, pale yellow and spilled over his forehead slightly too far, so that it brushed his eyebrows. His skin had a gentle golden complexion, that blended with his hair perfectly. He wore a full suit (Scott noted this as severely overdressed), which seemed expensive. The jacket was fitted and modern, showing of the spectacular inverted triangle shape of his upper body. There was a confident - and possibly slightly arrogant - smile on his soft pink lips, but Scott caught a glimpse of nerves behind the boy's facade._

_Despite Warren being the embodiment of perfect all over, there was one element of his body that Scott found even more captivating than the rest - his eyes. They shone a perfect sapphire blue and stood out against the neutral colour palette of the rest of him dramatically. Scott was thankful for the ruby quartz that concealed his gaze, ensuring no one knew that his couldn't tear his eyes from the boy in front of him._

_"So, what can you do?" Bobby asked excitably, encouraging the smile on Warren's lips to grow._

_"Well," Warren stepped back slightly into a clearer space. "I have these."_

_He spread his wings proudly from where they hid behind him. Hank applauded in appreciation and nodded thoughtfully, obviously making mental notes for his research. Bobby made some sort of exclamation of surprise and excitement, his lips pulling into a large grin. Scott's mouth fell open and he knew from that moment, he was in trouble. This was a guy. And he couldn't help feeling... Well... Attracted to him. He blushed, attempting to push back the thoughts, but they immediately fought back to the forefront of his mind. Forcing himself to close his gaping mouth, he swallowed hard. He licked his lips sub-consciously and immediately cursed himself for it._

_Slowly, he closed his eyes and repeated a mantra to himself in his mind. Something about him just being tired, and how none of these feelings were real._

_"Umm... Hi?" Scott opened his eyes to see Warren stood slightly too close before him. Hank and Bobby both gave Scott quizzical looks. Warren had already tried to talk to him once, but Scott was far too busy convincing himself that he wasn't thinking about kissing the angel in front of him to actually notice. "You're Scott, right?"_

_"Yeah." Scott suppressed a schoolgirl giggle at the way Warren spoke his name. What was happening to him?_

_"So, what did your parents think about you being shipped off to mutant school?" Warren smirked confidently. Scott opened his mouth to speak, but could not find any words, mostly because he had been far more fixated on the way Warren's lips moved than the words that came out of them._

_"Scott's parents passed away when he was young, Warren." The professor spoke up informatively._

_"Oh. I'm... Errr... I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and looked up at Scott through his eyelashes. Scott was still speechless - oblivious to everything around him. "Okay." Warren said awkwardly, drawing out the vowels._

_"Boys, why don't you show Warren to his room?" The professor suggested. Hank and Bobby agreed immediately and, once again, Scott remained silent. The four boys moved towards the stairs quickly._

_"So, you, like, own Worthington Industries?" Bobby quizzed, obviously continuing a previous conversation that Scott had missed whilst being stuck in his daze._

_"Well technically, my dad does, but yeah." Warren smiled at them, a perfect, white-toothed smile. Scott's breath caught slightly, and he turned away quickly._

_After a quick tour of the institute, Hank, Bobby and a still silent Scott left Warren alone in his room. But Warren caught Scott's arm before he could escape._

_"Hey!" Warren said softly._

_"Hi." Scott tried to suppress the red hue that took his cheeks._

_"Are you okay?" Warren asked, more confused than actually caring._

_"Just tired." Scott lied, holding up a fake smile._

_"Sure." Warren smiled again and Scott felt the forbidden attraction return. This was so wrong!_

_"Just ask if you need anything." Scott said politely before attempting a swift exit from the room._

_"Thanks, Scott Summers." Warren said Scott's name as if he was trying it on for size and it sent shivers down Scott's spine._

It's been a long day _, Scott thought, attempting to desperately convince himself away from the notion that he may actually have an attraction to another guy._ You're just confused _. He charged back down the hallway towards his room, when suddenly, something caught his eye. A single, white feather lay on the carpet. Bending down to retrieve it, he rolled his eyes, mentally complaining about how the new kid was just going to make a mess. However, when his fingers contacted it, his heart seemed to skip a beat, and images of the boy he had just left flickered through his mind. The hair, the body, the eyes, the wings, the voice, the smile - Scott Summers was entranced. And it was so, so wrong._

And that's why he was still so terrified now - what they had was wrong. Scott loved Warren unconditionally and he had no queries about Warren reciprocating those feelings, but lately Scott had been searching for a way - any way - to hide from what he was feeling. Suddenly, he was the boy with the white feather in the hallway again - scared and confused over all of these new emotions. He knew he should've given Warren the chance to explain what happened with Julian yesterday, but he saw an opportunity to run, and took it.

And now, due to his cowardice, he lay, guilt-ridden, in bed with a girl who he didn't have any deep feelings for - despite her attractiveness - while the boy he was too scared to love was over two thousand miles away with somebody else.

He had found the opportunity to push Warren away and had taken it gratefully. But now, he wanted him back. And he didn't know what to do.


	26. Cut Him Out In Little Stars

"Julian, I-"

"I need to get back." Julian slipped his shirt on, never risking a glance at Warren. "So do you."

"Please," Warren pushed himself to sit up in the bed, the sheets falling away and exposing his bare chest, his wings stretched out behind him. "I'm sorry about-"

"It doesn't matter, Warren." Julian pushed a hand through his hair.

"It does!" Warren looked down at where he knotted his hands in his lap. "I shouldn't have led you on like that."

"Just go home." Julian ordered, sitting down on the bed to tie his shoelaces.

"Julian," Warren sighed, taking the black haired mutant's hand. "I just couldn't stop thinking about Scott. I was thinking about how much it hurt to know that he could be with Laura, and I just couldn't do that to him."

"I don't care." Julian lied.

"Thanks for letting me stay here."

"Sure." Julian stood from the bed and flicked a small key at Warren. "Lock the door when you leave, and give the key to Tommy."

"Wait!" Warren begged. Julian turned to look at him for the first time since he had woken up in the winged mutant's arms. "Where does this leave us?"

"I don't know." Julian turned away again. "And right now, I don't care."

"Julian, please." Warren got up from the bed, taking Julian's arm. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Hurt me?" Julian forced a laugh. "How can you hurt an emotionless, little slut like me?"

And with that, he left. Warren fell heavily back onto the bed. Why couldn't he have just stuck to the plan he had when he came here? Now he was stuck between two guys who were really not his biggest fans right now.

He retrieved his phone from the nightstand and flicked his fingers over the screen until he had formed an appropriate message.

_I'm sorry. xxx_

It felt like the only right thing to say at this time. He knew how irritating it was to be led on by somebody, and the way he'd treated Julian just wasn't fair.

But when it came down to the moment when Julian had looked him in the eye and asked him if he wanted this, Warren realized he didn't. He  _really_  didn't. Despite everything, he just wanted Scott.

He pushed his eyes shut and sighed heavily.  _Goddammit, Warren_. He thought to himself.  _You're such an idiot sometimes._

He allowed his mind to follow the path to understand how this happened. He recalled the moment he first met Scott Summers, how he looked so strange and shy behind his sunglasses, yet so intriguingly beautiful. Warren's mind fell to the day he first realized how strong his feelings were for Scott, and a warm feeling bloomed in his chest.

_"Hey, Scotty." Warren laughed, plucking a book from Scott's hands. "Whatcha doing?"_

_"Studying, like you should be." Scott snatched the book back. "And don't call me Scotty."_

_"Studying is no fun." Warren whined. "Scotty suits you. It's cute."_

_"I'm not cute." Scott slammed the book shut loudly._

_"You so are! You're so innocent and naïve." Warren laughed, slipping into the seat beside Scott._

_"How can you say that? You barely know me!" Scott shifted his chair away slightly._

_"I'd say we've got to know each other pretty well in the past two weeks." Warren slumped forwards onto the table, his wings flicking out and almost hitting Scott in the face. "Not that I need to know you well. Anyone who sees those cute red sunglasses of yours can tell you have about as much sex appeal as an English muffin."_

_"Thanks." Warren didn't have to see Scott's eyes to tell he was rolling them._

_"Awh, relax and have some fun, Scotty." Warren teased, ruffling his hair. Scott quickly flicked his head away._

_"Leave me alone, Warren. I've got stuff to do." Scott retrieved his book and stood up._

_"Come on!" Warren moaned. "Live dangerously."_

_"Make me." Scott shrugged, before storming off towards his room. Warren couldn't help admiring the way Scott emphasized his cute, little ass wiggle when he walked away when he was annoyed. He bit his lip slightly, his mind straying, before taking to following Scott once again._

_"Scotty!" He sang._

_"What now, Warren?" Scott sighed, pausing at the entrance to his room._

_"Whatcha studying for?" Warren leant against the doorframe casually as Scott opened the door._

_"It's Shakespeare. For the English Communication test on Friday?" Warren stared at him blankly. "Do you ever listen in class?"_

_"Yes!" Warren followed Scott into the room quickly. "I'm a great student."_

_"What play are we studying right now?" Scott asked mindlessly, dropping onto the bed and flicking open his book. Warren leant around slightly to read the title on the spine, but Scott quickly noticed. "No cheating."_

_"Ummmm..." Warren furrowed his brow and looked up to the ceiling, nibbling his lower lip slightly._

_"It's 'Romeo and Juliet'! Jeez, Warren!" Scott tossed the book at Warren, who caught it with fumbling hands and sat down beside him._

_"What? Literature isn't my thing!" He shrugged._

_"It's a beautiful story, if you just give it a chance." Scott turned the book over in Warren's hands, after he had been holding it upside down._

_"I know the story. Some kids fall in love. Some stuff happens. Then they kill themselves and it's all very tragic. Blah blah blah." Warren shook his wings slightly, discarding a feather onto Scott's bed. Scott retrieved it awkwardly._

_"Can you not shed feathers all over my bed please?" He flicked it carelessly into Warren's lap. "And 'Romeo and Juliet' is far more dramatic than that."_

_"Keep it. A souvenir for the one time you actually had someone sexy in your room." He tucked the feather behind Scott's ear and was rewarded with an irritated expression. "Okay! Tell me more about 'Romeo and Juliet'."_

_Warren didn't really care. But he'd been aching for them to spend time alone together since they first met._

_"So, there are two rival families, okay? The Capulets and the Montagues. Juliet is a Capulet and Romeo, a Montague. They meet at a party and fall in love-"_

_"They fell in love at a party? It took them a few hours to fall in love? Isn't that kind of unrealistic?" Warren yawned._

_"Anyway, then they discover who each other really are and the rest of the story follows their desperate journey to be together." Scott loved the story of Romeo and Juliet, even though he'd never admit it._

_"Yeah, it still sucks." Warren laughed._

_"Check this out." Scott leaned across and started flicking through the book in Warren's hands. The skin on their hands contacted and sent a shiver through Warren's whole body. He swallowed hard, attempting to ignore the sensation._

_"Here!" Scott smiled, pointing to a line in the book. "This is my favourite one..."_

_"'When he shall die," Warren read from the book awkwardly. "Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine, That all the world will be in love with night.'"_

_Scott sighed contently at the words. "Exactly."_

_"I still don't get this story." Warren snapped the book shut._

_"You're so annoying sometimes." Scott pushed his palm against his forehead. "Just... Picture this... There's somebody you've met. Somebody spectacular. Beautiful, kind, clever - just perfect. But you find you can't be with them. You think about them every moment of every day, but you can't touch them. You can never marry them and grow old with them like you want to. And your heart aches every time you get a glance of their beautiful face because you know this is more than just a crush."_

_"Pretty deep." Warren laughed._

_"Warren!" Scott moaned. "This is serious."_

_"Okay, okay! It's not too bad of a story, I guess." Warren shrugged. But he couldn't help feeling a strong connection to it as he looked at Scott right now. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't deny his attraction to the boy in the red sunglasses, but he knew how wrong it was. He knew they could never be together._

_"Good." Scott said triumphantly. "Now, choose an extract and we'll work through it together."_

_Warren flicked through the booked, seemingly carelessly. But he knew what he was looking for._

_"Here?" He suggested casually._

_"Sure." Scott's small, rare smile appeared._

_"I call the guy's part!" Warren exclaimed quickly._

_"Whatever." Scott once again rolled his eyes behind the ruby quartz lenses._

_"So..." Warren trailed his eyes over the page before speaking. "He takes her hand and then says... 'If I profane with my unworthiest hand, This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand, To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.'" He wrinkled his nose slightly. "I have no idea what I just said to you."_

_"He's flirting with her." Scott explained. "He takes her hand, saying that his skin is unworthy to touch hers, and that if she is offended by his touch, he'll make it up to her with a kiss."_

_"I so have to try that one..."_

_"Warren." Scott warned._

_"Sorry." He flashed his stunning smile. "Carry on."_

_"'Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in this, For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.'" Scott read the words perfectly, unlike the awkward way Warren did, almost like he knew them by heart. "Here, she's saying that he makes his lips sound worse than they are. Playing off his previous comment, she explains that pilgrims touch the hands of statues of saints. And in some way, holding hands is like a kiss."_

_"'Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?' Which is his way of saying..." Warren paused thoughtfully. "'Don't saints and pilgrims have lips too?' Right?"_

_"Perfect." Scott smiled. "Okay, so, I want you to try that again, each time we say a line, we'll repeat what we think it means in more modern language afterwards."_

_"Okay." Warren fiddled with the corner of the page, as Scott leaned in slightly closer to read from it._

_"'Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.'" Scott spoke smoothly. "So, that's her saying 'Yes, but lips they should only pray with.'"_

_"'Oh, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.' Is that him saying that he will pray instead, pray for them to kiss? And hope she grants his prayer?" Warren looked across at Scott for approval, who nodded quickly, smiling._

_"'Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.'" Scott looked back to Warren's face, the intensity of his gaze hidden by his glasses. "'Saints never move, not even to grant prayers.'"_

_"'Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.'" Warren blushed slightly. "'Then, stay still. I'll grant my own prayer.'" He lowered his voice to a soft whisper. "And then he kisses her."_

_"Yeah," Scott sighed. Warren took Scott's hand and brought it up to his lips, placing a simple, chaste kiss on his knuckles, but the desire in his eyes, as they searched deep into Scott glasses, was clear._

_"'Thus from my lips, by thine," Warren whispered, pushing his mind to recall the words on the page. "My sin is purged.'"_

_"'Then have my lips the sin that they have took?'" Scott breathed the words that he knew so well._

_"'Sin from thy lips? Oh, trespass sweetly urged.'" Warren purred. "And them she kisses him back, to return the sin she stole from him."_

_As their lips neared, Warren's heartbeat began to race. This was more than just an attraction. He cared for Scott on a strong emotional level, and the thought of their possible kiss made his stomach do flips. He noticed how relaxed Scott looked, and assumed he must be dreaming._

_"Students," The professor's voice pushed into their minds, causing both boys to pull back, blushing awkwardly. "If you could all report to my office, our new team member has arrived."_

And then they had met Jean Grey and it was as if Scott had never shared that moment with Warren. Warren's head ached with the memory.

They really were like Romeo and Juliet. Except Warren wasn't sure they were willing to fight for what they had anymore.


	27. Mount Bailey

_"Julian! Where have you been?"_

_"Wasn't Professor Logan expecting you, like, half hour ago?"_

_"Man, you are so dead!"_

_"Shouldn't you be heading to class?"_

_"Did you go out last night? You smell like alcohol."_

Julian ignored the voices around him as he stormed to his room. He could barely hear them above his frustration. It was like he was in his own little bubble.

Upon entering his room, he slammed and locked the door telekinetically, before anyone could follow him inside. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out, his chest rising and falling heavily with his heightened emotion. His muscles tightened when he read the name on the screen.

_I'm sorry. xxx_

Julian shook his head in disbelief at the text, before sending his phone full-force onto the bed, from which, it bounced heavily onto the floor.

 _What's wrong with me?!_ He thought, slamming his hands down on the dresser with a loud crash.  _Why am I never good enough for him? Why does he choose that irritating, one-eyed Boy Scout over me?_

Julian looked up at his reflection in the mirror that balanced atop the dresser. His eyes were glowing a strong green, mimicking his emotions. He screwed them shut quickly, willing the colour to fade away, as it reminded him too much of what Warren had said about when they kissed. But when he opened them again, the colour was brighter than ever.

"Argh!" The hair products on the dresser flew away from Julian forcefully. He lifted a shaking, metal hand and twisted his fingers into his dark hair, attempting to figure out why he was so unattractive to Warren. He allowed the metal fingers the drift slowly down his face, past the glowing green eyes and red cheeks. He touched his bottom lip gently, slowing his breathing. His mind strayed to memories of the countless, passionate kisses they shared.

 _Why don't you want me, Warren?_  He pleaded in his mind.  _Why aren't I enough? Why do I have to feel this way about you? Why are you so damn perfect?!_

Julian tugged the shirt from his body and turned to get dressed, but as he did he caught sight of himself in the mirror. Turning back, he ran his cold, metal fingers down his skin.

 _Am I not attractive enough for him?_ He thought to himself, pain lurching through his chest. He squeezed and pinched at the skin on his waist tilting his head slightly at his reflection.  _Does he not like my body? Am I that disgusting?_

Julian had never had thoughts like these before. He was always so self-assured and confident. But Warren had turned that upside down. With Julian's new exploration of his sexual orientation came new doubts. Maybe he wasn't as perfect as he'd once assumed. Maybe he was just as ugly as he'd always subconsciously feared.

He brushed the hair from his forehead leaned in slightly closer. He observed how every inch of his skin moved, searching for the reason he wasn't good enough. And then he stopped.

 _Maybe it's not my flesh_ , the thought forced its way to the forefront of his mind - the thought he'd been dreading.  _Maybe it's the lack of._

He held his hard, metallic hands up in front of his face. He could see the reflection of his eyes, shining green, in the metal.

 _Is that it?_  He continued in his mind.  _Is it because I lost my hands that I'm now so disgusting? They're so... Ugly. So, surely that makes me ugly too?_  His eyes began to water slightly at the thought, the green hue dispersing and leaving behind the perfect blue.

 _I didn't ask for this._ He thought.  _I just wanted to be comfortable with my mutation. Maybe I should never have come here. I should have stayed home with my parents. I could've hidden my telekinesis. I could've kept my goddamn hands! But now I'm some sort of freak. And I'm drowning._

His phone rang loudly from where it lay, discarded, on the floor. He rubbed his arm of his face to push away the tears and bent down to retrieve it.

"H-Hello?" He cursed himself for allowing his emotions to cause his voice to waver.

"Julian, I need to see you." Warren's voice caused a subtle pain to leap through Julian's chest.

"No, Warren, you made it clear last night that the only thing you need is Scott Summers." Julian leant against the wall tiredly.

"Please? I'm really sorry about that. I just-" Warren stopped himself mid-sentence. "Look, can I see you? Then, I can explain in person?"

"I'm at school, Warren." Julian replied dismissively.

"Then skip class and come meet me. It's not like you haven't done it before." Warren made his words sound like a dare.

"Fine."

"Meet me at the highest point in North Salem." Julian could sense Warren's smile.

"What? I can't-"

"You can fly, right?" Warren cut in. When there was no answer, he continued. "Exactly."

 

Half hour later Julian stood a meter away from the boy he had inexplicable feelings for, 976 feet in the sky, at the peak of Bailey Mountain.

"Why are you here, Warren?"

"Because I needed to speak with you." Warren took a step forward, but Julian quickly countered that with a step back.

"Why?" Julian demanded.

"Because I don't understand, okay?!" Warren yelled over the howling of the wind that cut its way around them. "I should hate you for how you screwed over my relationship. I should be telling you that I never want to see you again, but I... I can't."

"Why not?" Julian pushed. "I'm just some relationship-destroying slut! You said so yourself!"

"I don't know!" Warren pushed his hands through his hair. "All I know us that when I was waiting to catch a plane back to Alberta, all I could think about is how, if I get back with Scott, I'll never kiss you again."

"Yeah, Warren. That's what happens when you're in a relationship!" Julian rolled his eyes, but the slight catch in his voice revealed that he cared about this conversation. "Monogamy and all that bullshit!"

"I want to kiss you again, Julian." Warren stepped closer once again, and this time Julian did not pull back. "I'm so confused right now. Before the X-Men, I didn't even like guys - not in this way, at least. And now I'm madly in love with my teammate and there's also this perfect guy I know, who lives two thousand miles from me who I can't stop thinking about and who is driving me totally insane."

"But you don't love me. So, go back to Scott. Leave me alone. It's not like it'll take me long to find someone new. After all, I'm the biggest slut on the X-Men." Julian swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew that's how people saw him, it just hurt to say it out loud.

"That's funny." Warren shrugged. "That's exactly what Scott said about me."

Julian's eyes flicked up and connected with Warren's for a moment.

"No, Warren." His voice was weak. "Don't try to pretend you know what it feels like to be me."

"Don't be such a drama queen."

"No! I am allowed to be a drama queen when people are judging me all the goddamn time!" Julian snapped, stepping back.

"People are always going to judge us, Julian! We're mutants!" Warren reached out for Julian's hand, which he pulled back quickly.

"But it's more than it with me, isn't it?" Julian looked up into Warren's eyes. "They think I don't care. They think I'm just a whore.  _You_  think I'm just a whore!"

"No, Julian. I know you care. As much as I feel like I should see you as some sort of slut, I don't. Somehow, you're the closest friend I've made outside of the original X-Men."

"Oh, give up the act! I know exactly what you think of me!"

"You see, that's the thing. I really don't think you do." A slight smile tugged at the edges of Warren's lips as he looked down into the telekinetic's face and stroke his fingers through the boy's soft, black hair. "You wanna know what I think of you?"

"I-"

"I think," Warren cut him off quickly. "That you are one of the most beautiful, complex, interesting, frustrating and sweet guys I've ever met. What you did to me and Scott was low, but still, I can't help noticing that that wasn't you. Not the real you, anyway."

"You can't say that. You don't know me." Julian argued, turning his face away. Warren stepped closer slightly.

"Yes. I do. Because when I kiss you, all of those stupid defences you've built up just fall away. And then it's just you." Warren whispered. He held his hand under Julian's chin and tilted the boy's face upwards slightly. As their lips neared, Warren's breath hitched slightly in anticipation of their contact.

"Just go, Warren." Julian sighed, pulling back.

"That's the problem; I just can't stay away from you. Even though I really want to, I can't. But I also ache to be beside Scott again." Warren looked up, the sunlight scattering over his angelic face. Julian couldn't help the irritation that ran through his body at the sight of Warren's perfection. "Do you know how much it sucks to be me right now?"

"Yeah, it must really suck to have two guys completely fall for you!" Julian snapped.

"What?" Warren's eyes darted down and locked with Julian's.

"Nothing." Julian turned away. "This was a mistake. I need to get back."

"Wait!" Warren begged, taking Julian's hand lightly. "What did you say?"

"I can't..." Julian shook his head and tugged his hand away, before diving from the mountain. He needed to get as far away from Warren as possible.


	28. I Wish You Were A Stranger I Could Disengage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by 'Cable Car' by The Fray.

"Warren!" Scott called, following Warren towards the training room. "Can we talk?"

"Not right now." Warren's words came out harsher than he had intended.

"Angel!" Scott snapped, suppressing a smile when Warren stopped walking. "As Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men, I'm informing you that we need a strict discussion in my room. Right now. It's crucial for the development of the team."

Warren knew Scott was lying, but he followed him back to his room anyway, sighing heavily as he did.

"What now, Scott?" Warren flicked his wings out, knocking the door shut with a loud slam.

"You were with  _him_  last night?" Scott's voice had suddenly dropped quite low and cautious.

"Yes."

"Did you... I mean... Has he..."

"Nothing happened." Warren cut in impatiently. Usually, he'd find the awkward way Scott tiptoed around sexual conversations cute, but not now.

"Oh..." Scott blushed, feeling even guiltier about what had happened with Laura. He told himself Warren was lying to dull the pain slightly. "Well... I... I want to give you the opportunity to explain."

Warren laughed slightly. "So, what? You trust me now? I go off and spend the night with another guy and you miraculously realize your mistake and give me a chance? No way, Summers."

"I do trust you, Warren. I'm just scared."

"I don't care, Scott! You ignored me when I tried to explain, but - even worse - you believed I would actually cheat on you, the boy I love!" Warren hissed.

"No, I just-"

"You just wouldn't give me a chance? Yeah, I know."

"Warren, I'm terrified. I didn't want to give you a chance, because yet again I was being foolish and taking the easy option out." Scott begged.

"If being with me is that scary, why try at all?" Warren turned his back to Scott, heading for the door.

"Because I love you!"

"You see, that's where I get confused." He turned back slowly. "If you love me like you say you do, then, surely, you can just ignore what everyone would say. I can. For you!"

"Because you're a guy! This is so... Wrong." Scott blushed again, looking at the ground.

"If you think our relationship is wrong, you might want to revaluate you beliefs, because  _they_  are what is wrong here!" Warren stepped closer to Scott, trying - and failing - to appear intimidating.

"I love you for who you are, Warren." Scott continued, seemingly ignoring Warren's statement. "Not what you are. But if you were a girl, this whole this would be so easy."

" _A rose by any other name, would smell as sweet_." Warren exited the room, leaving the words hanging in the air.

Scott cursed himself silently. He remembered clearly the day he and Warren had shared an 'almost' moment, whilst studying  _'Romeo and Juliet'_. To hear Warren quote the book now made Scott's heart do flips.

Scott knew exactly what Warren meant by that. He meant that he wanted Scott to look past the labels and just let them be together. But, of course, Scott could never do that. There was always going to be an irritating voice in his head that told him how wrong this all was. Scott knew that Warren didn't quite understand why he had such clearly defined outlines surrounding gender. Warren was so relaxed about it. If he was with a girl.  _Great_. If he was with a guy.  _Great_. What's the difference, right?

But Scott saw a difference – a very big difference. And it irritated the hell out of him. He wanted to be able to love Warren in every way he desired, but his mind held him back.

Scott left the room quickly, settling on finding Warren first and figuring out what he was going to say afterwards.

Stalking through the empty corridors, Scott's worry began to build. Warren was nowhere. He was also upset. Missing and emotional was never a good combination - especially for Warren Worthington III.

"Hey, Laura!" Scott called out when he noticed the black haired girl wandering towards the cafeteria.

"Hello," She blushed slightly and bit her lip, looking Scott up and down. "Are you okay?"

"I need to find Warren." Scott replied quickly. "Have you seen him?"

"Oh." Laura's expression dropped slightly. "I passed him leaving the building. I do not know why, or where he was going."

"Ugh." Scott pushed a hand against his forehead in frustration, before smiling gratefully at Laura. "Thanks anyway."

Scott knew they weren't really supposed to leave the school, but he didn't really have a choice. He  _had_  to find Warren, and soon. Plus, Warren was always going off to New York alone. He was sure Professor Kitty would forgive him just this once.

Stepping outside, Scott noticed the fresh footprints in the snow - undoubtedly Warren's. For a second, Scott felt relieved, thinking that maybe this would be easier than he had anticipated. But the trail of clues to Warren's whereabouts ended with the prints. He had obviously taken to flying, but Scott was still clueless as to where. But he knew he could figure it out.

_He had to._


	29. Angel In The Rafters

"Hi, umm... I've never really done this before." Warren spoke awkwardly, kneeling on the hard, stone floor. "But I want to apologize."

He blushed. This was so strange but he was convinced this would find this answers for him and feel better generally. He'd heard his mother make reference to how talking to god had helped her when she was ill and Warren was still just a child.

"I want apologize for every time I've screwed someone over. For every time I've acted selfishly. For every time I've hurt a friend." He stretched out his wings, very conscious of his much he strangely fitted in there. "I just want to know why. Out of everything I've done, what was it that made you think you had to make me fall for Scott Summers?"

He stood slowly and wandered over to one of the stained glass windows - the one depicting the angel. Staring up at it, he felt like a demon in comparison. Sure, he looked sweet and angelic enough, but he didn't feel that way. He felt like his heart was being torn apart by everything that was happening between him, Scott and Julian, and his head was being torn apart by this 'saving the future' bullshit that they were brought here to do.

"I thought you weren't into the whole 'guy, guy' thing." Warren hoped there was someone up there listening. If not, he felt incredibly stupid. "Why did you make him so perfect and irresistible? Why did you make them  _both_  so perfect and irresistible?"

He stretched his wings out slightly, willing his body to feel more saint-like. But it didn't work. Warren Worthington III was a sinner.

"Angel," Scott spoke up softly behind him. Warren turned quickly, startled.

"What are you doing here? How did you- How did you find me?" Warren's surprise was evident; he didn't think anyone would even consider looking here for him.

"I know you, Warren. I know the strong connection you have to your mutation - how you think it makes you who you are." Scott stepped closer, warily. "I know that sometimes, when you're upset, you like to close your eyes and pretend you're a real angel."

"No, I don't." Warren lied. His future self had lost his memory recently, and spent some time since convinced that he was an actual angel, so Warren wasn't too keen to admit his strange coping strategies right now.

"You do." Scott stated softly. "And I know that you just wanna be like that guy, really." He flicked his hand up casually at the stained glass window. "Pure, perfect, saint-like."

"You don't know me, Scott." Warren's voice wavered slightly. "If you did, you'd know I'd never even consider cheating on you."

"I miss you." Scott whispered, looking down at the floor.

"I can't be with you again, Scott. Not until we both figure out what we want." Warren turned his back to Scott, once again looking up at the angel in the window.

"I want  _you_!" Scott begged.

"Sure, you say that now." Warren shrugged, causing his wings to flick out slightly. "But how long until you freak out again over nothing? How long until you decide that our relationship is a sin?"

"Warren," Scott sighed. "I think I need you again. I can't see there being any other way I can get through everything that's happening right now."

"So, that's why you want me? You need me to kiss your hair and tell you everything's going to be okay? Is that all I am to you, Summers?" Warren raised his voice slightly.

"No! That's not what I-" Scott stopped himself. "I need to tell you the truth. Everything."

"Sure."

"I really love you." He started. "More than I've loved anything ever. Despite your irritating arrogance and frustrating personality, I do. But this whole thing just scared me slightly. I-"

"You've said this all before, Scott." Warren still didn't turn back.

"Do you remember when I was teaching you about 'Romeo and Juliet'?" Scott stepped closer to Warren.

"Yes." Warren's heart ached at the memory.

"Do you remember the line that I said was my favourite?" Scott placed a hand on Warren's right wing. " _'And when he shall die, Cut him out in little stars. And he-_ "

" _'And he will make the face of heaven so fine, That all the world will be in love with the night.'_ " Warren finished, dropping his head as the tears threatened to escape. "I know, because I spent hours learning it, and what it meant, after you told me you loved it. I wanted to surprise you, when I finally gained enough strength to tell you how I felt. But then all this future stuff happened, and I didn't get the chance."

"Oh, Warren." Scott kissed his wing softly. "Do you know why that was my favourite line?" Warren didn't reply. "Because it's the one that reminded me of how I feel for you. It still does. I want to fight for what we have, Warren. I need to. Because I really can't live without you. If Romeo and Juliet can do it, why can't we?"

"They still die, Scott. They don't get to be together. They both die."

"I know." Scott shrugged. "But they die fighting for what they love, and I am more than willing to do the same."

"Why are you so confusing?" Warren turned back to Scott, looking up at him for the first time. "One minute you love me, the next you don't."

"No, Warren. I've never stopped loving you." Scott whispered, holding a single, white feather out between them. "This is the feather you dropped on my bed that day. It's my good luck charm. I kept it in my desk, and when future Hank came to get us, I grabbed it before we left. I knew, somehow, it would keep me safe."

"You..." Warren didn't know what to say.

"I've been obsessed with you since the moment we met, Warren. And I'm ready to try not caring what people think. I want to be with you now."

"I can't." Warren regretted the words immediately.

"What?" Scott pulled back.

"Julian... I... There's something between us and I can't... I don't..."

"You're turning me down for some slut you met two weeks ago who destroyed our relationship?"

"No! I just don't know what I want right now."

"But I thought you loved me!"

"I do!" Warren took Scott's hand. "I do. I just can't ignore what I'm feeling. I just need some time to figure this out."

"I slept with Laura!" Scott blurted out the words before he could stop himself.

"What?" Warren stumbled backwards, he legs suddenly weak.

"Last night, I was so angry and confused." Scott's words sounded desperate. "I only planned to just make out with her or something, to get you out of my head. And then she asked me what I wanted and I thought of you and him and I just... I wanted to hurt you so bad! And then this morning, I woke up and I felt so terrible. I realized that I only wanted you and... I'm sorry."

"You don't love me, Scott." Warren pushed the words out. "I had to force myself to even come close to doing anything with Julian. You sound like you had no issues with her!"

"I do! I'm crazy about you. Please!"

"No." Warren shook his head slowly. "I'm done with you."

"Warren, don't go!"

"You know, I really thought that you actually loved me. That maybe, I'd made the right decision for once - that I'd fallen in love with someone who cared about me just as much as I cared about them." Warren looked deep into Scott's glasses with tear-framed eyes. "But no. Yet again, I'm just the stupid rich boy who makes all the foolish choices."

"No, Warren. I care about you more than you know! I made a mistake. We were broken up...  _Again_. And I didn't think. I just needed you to know what it felt like when you're with him."

"Don't try to turn this on me!" Warren spread his wings and shot up to perch on one of the small wooden beams that dissected the highest fraction of the huge room.

"This is on you!" Scott's frustration built up more. "Sure, I slept with someone else, but at least I didn't develop feelings for them."

"Julian was there for me when I needed someone. When you pushed me away!" Warren yelled down at Scott.

"Laura was there for me when  _I_  needed someone." Scott retorted, causing Warren to laugh slightly.

"You're unbelievable!" His voice caught slightly. "Just leave me alone!"

"I can't! I love you!"

"I thought we agreed? That's just not enough anymore." Warren dropped his head as he said the words.

"Warren..." Scott choked out his name. The sight above him was strangely beautiful. From where Warren crouched on the rafters, the tips of his wings grazed the very ceiling of the church. If he hadn't have been wearing his bright red X-uniform, he could easily have been mistaken for some sort of statue, or possibly even a real angel. Tears stained his face, and he was thankful that he was far enough from Scott that the boy on the ground could not see.

"Go." He ordered.

"I'm so sorry, Warren. I really do lo-"

"Don't say it!" Warren cut off Scott's words. "Just go."

Scott took a deep breath, tearing his gaze from the angel in the rafters and left the church.

"Argh!" Warren punched a wooden beam beside him, and dropped to the floor softly. He made his way up to the alter, where there was a large statue of Jesus.

"Why does everything happen to me? What did I do so wrong? Why do you hate me so much? Is it because I'm bisexual? Well, news flash, big guy! You made me this way!" He pushed his hands roughly into his hair, tugging at it in frustration. "Anything else you wanna throw at me? I dunno. Maybe I've got some incurable disease? Or everyone on my team is plotting to kill me? I wouldn't be surprised, considering the amount of crap you've been throwing my way recently!"

Finally, Warren gave up. He dropped to his knees and began to sob into his hands. He should never have allowed the team to come here. This placed screwed everything up. Time travel always screws everything up.

Warren's head flicked up at the loud clang that echoed from the back of the church. Curious and suspicious, he made his way slowly down to where he had a good view of the large, wooden doors.

He heard footsteps behind him, and then, a voice. "Forgive us, gentle angel. We are here to take you home."

Warren span quickly, to see a shadowy male figure behind him. "What the-"

And then Warren felt a sharp pain in his head and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okaaaaayyy. So, I get this could be quite a controversial chapter for some people (discussing gay relations and such in a church), but I've wanted to put Warren in this situation for quite a while. I don't think his emotions are really explored enough in the comic books, and I like to think he is far less confident than they sometimes make out. So, I apologize if this has offended you in some way.


	30. Yellow Plaid Tie

"Ahhh." Warren moaned, forcing open his eyes. There was a sharp ache in the back of his skull like a quadruple strength hangover. "Scotty?"

The room was dark and damp, so much that Warren could not see his hands in front of his face, and relied on the loud, regular drips to inform him of the wet state of his surroundings.

He attempted to raise a hand to his head to check for blood, but found that they were handcuffed together and attached to the hard ground with some sort of chain that chinked against the floor.

"Scott?" He called out, a hint of well-masked desperation in his tone. He was scared. And he just wanted his boyfriend. But then it came back to him - he didn't have a boyfriend anymore. He didn't have  _anyone_.

"Where am I?" Warren demanded. "Who are you?"

He attempted to wrap his wings around his body in a defensive action, but found that they were restrained tightly with a rough length of rope, tied around his chest.

"Are you kidding me?!" He yelled, his frustration and irritation growing. "What the hell do you want with me?!"

"Hush, angel. That is no language to escape the lips of a messenger of God." There were loud, clicking footsteps to the right of Warren's position to accompany the deep voice. He felt someone lower themselves beside him and a hand touched his cheek softly. "So beautiful." The voice whispered lovingly.

Warren snapped his face away from the contact. "Who are you? Why am I here?"

"Calm." The person beside him ordered softly.

"What do you want from me?" A strange hint of weakness took Warren's tone.

"We want to take you home."

"What?" For a second, Warren considered the possibility that someone could've found a way to return them to the past.

"To heaven." The voice was monotone and unsettling.

"No. I'm not-"

"What did it feel like to fall?" Warren felt the figure beside him draw closer. "How did you get here? What sin did you perform that He deemed so bad, that it was worthy of the punishment of discarding you to earth?"

"I'm not a real angel. You know that, right? And you need to release me right now." Warren tried desperately to hide the fear in his voice.

"I understand you are not supposed to be discovered, but we found you. You do not have to pretend anymore. We cannot-"

"Mr Brooke," A young, female voice spoke up from far across the room. "It's time for your reading."

"Yes, Rosie. Thank you." The man - who Warren could now identify as Mr Brooke - stood up beside him. "I have to leave you for a while now. Do not fret, I will return to you soon."

"Wait!" Warren ordered. "I'm a very powerful person. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into here."

"Hush." The man repeated the first word he had spoken to Warren and began to walk away.

"Let me go, you crazy son of a bitch!" Warren yelled desperately, tugging on the chain that restrained his arms and searching out for something in the darkness.

Suddenly, a bright light came on in the room and Warren felt a sharp pain across his right cheek.

"You do not talk to me like that!" The man growled, only now allowing emotion into his tone. Warren clenched his jaw - feeling more than angry now - and looked up at the man who stood proudly beside him.

He was tall with dark hair which had hints of grey weaved through it. His jaw was strong and carried a small amount of stubble. Dressed in a dark grey suit, Warren could tell that this 'Mr Brooke' was not a fan of the gym.

"If you dare to use words like that against me once more, I'll-"

"You'll slap me again?" Warren raised his eyebrows.

"Rosie!" Mr Brooke demanded. A short, skinny girl with ginger hair and a splash of freckles on her skin, hurried over quickly. "Fetch me a tie. I think..." He paused, looking over Warren thoughtfully. "Yellow. Yes, a yellow tie."

"Yes, sir." Rosie hurried away.

"Foolish angel." Mr Brooke whispered, lowering himself down beside Warren, running the back of his hand softly down Warren's cheek. "Now you are going to make me late."

"Look, I don't know what you think you're doing here, but you won't-"

"We're doing this for your benefit, you ungrateful boy!" He cut off Warren's words, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking-"

"Rosie!" He yelled, just moments before the redhead re-entered the room.

"Sorry, sir." She blushed, placing a yellow plaid tie in his outstretched hand.

"God gave you this mouth to pray," he grabbed Warren's pale hair roughly and tugged his head back, causing him to shout out in pain. "Not to curse!"

"Sir, we mustn't hurt the angel." Rosie spoke up timidly. Mr Brooke pushed the tie forcefully against her chest, causing her to whimper slightly.

"Gag him." He ordered. Rosie nodded slightly, avoiding eye contact with both men as she took the tie.

"Get away from me!" Warren yelled, kicking his legs out.

"Silence!" Mr Brooke ordered, taking a strong hold of Warren's jaw with his free hand.

"F-forgive me." Rosie stuttered, moving closer.

"Please, don't-" Warren's plea was cut off as Rosie secured the tie tightly around his face. Mr Brooke released Warren's head roughly.

"Why would He allow a demon like you into heaven?" Warren narrowed his eyes at the words. "Now, I am late. And you are to blame."

"Sir, please." Rosie spoke up again.

"Rosie, ensure he does not attempt escape. If he does, we kill him now." The way he said the word  _'now'_  made Warren think that maybe his death here was inevitable.

"But-"

"No buts, Rosie." The man snapped. "He struggles, you kill him."


	31. Hot Coffee

Scott paced the main entrance to the New Xavier School. Warren should be back by now - he'd been gone over twenty four hours, with no contact. The others had begun to worry too by now, but not half as much as Scott. Scott knew how angry Warren was at his confession about Laura. He could be anywhere.

"Anything?" Jean appeared beside Scott, passing him a hot cup of coffee. Scott shook his head. "I just don't understand. Why would he take off like that? He seemed fine last time I saw him."

"He's upset." Scott replied mindlessly, sipping at the coffee. It burnt his lips slightly, but he didn't care. Without Warren, he just felt numb.

"Why?" Jean's voice was laced with her confusion.

"Because..." Scott trailed off when he noticed the way she was looking at him. "No, Jean! Stay out of my head!"

"Sorry." She blushed. "I just thought maybe I could-"

"No!" He repeated.

"Sorry." She said again.

"I'm going to look over his room again. See if I can figure anything out." He murmured, passing the near-full, steaming coffee back to her.

"Why do you care so much?" Scott stopped at the sound of her words. "You've never really liked Warren. I know how much he annoys you."

"I'm a leader. Him being missing hinders my team." Scott replied dismissively, before disappearing off down the corridor.

Upon reaching Warren's room, he found it in a perfectly ordinary state. Of course, he already knew that, he'd checked at least seven times before. But this time, something caught his eye - Warren's cell. If Warren was in New York with Julian, there was only one way to find out.

He pushed every button around the phone until the screen lit up, then followed the on-screen instructions to unlock it. He fiddled awkwardly with the touchscreen until he found the  _'Call'_  option. Flicking through the very limited contact list, Scott soon found Julian's name. He pressed the screen slightly too hard and the phone began to dial. He lifted it cautiously to his ear.

"Warren! Thank god, I-"

"Guess again." Scott cut off Julian's words bluntly.

"Oh... Urrr... Cyclops... I thought that Angel was calling me. We have some things to discuss and I haven't spoken to him in a while." Julian's response was sufficiently awkward.

"Wait." Scott's heart began to best faster. "You mean he's not in New York with you?"

"No..." Julian sounded confused. "I thought he was up there with you?"

"He's gone." Scott replied bluntly.

"Gone?" Julian's tone developed into one of worry and panic. "What do you mean 'gone'? Gone where?"

"I don't know!" Scott practically yelled.

"Calm down. We'll figure this out."

"We?" Scott sounded insulted.

"Have you asked Miss Frost?" Julian pushed, ignoring Scott's question. "She's good at this stuff."

"They're all off chasing new mutants." Scott tried to push his panic down, but it soon resurfaced.

"Okay. Okay." Julian took a deep breath. " _Laura_. You need Laura."

"What?" Scott was a little taken aback by the suggestion.

"She can track him." Scott felt slightly stupid. He was supposed to be the fearless leader, yet here he was in complete tatters whilst his boyfriend's bit-on-the-side formed a plan.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll- I'll talk to her." Scott tried to reorder his head.

"And Scott," Julian spoke up before Scott could cut the line. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt him. I'm sorry for-"

"Save it." Scott snapped, and hung up. He was angry. Angry at Warren for running off. Angry at Julian for everything he'd done. But most of all, angry at himself.

He tugged the door open strongly, storming out into the hall, towards Laura's room.

"Laura?" He knocked quickly on the door. "Laura, are you in there?"

"What?" Came the irritated response from inside.

"I really need your help!" Scott leant on the door. "Please, help me."

"What is it?" Laura threw open the door and Scott stumbled inside.

"I need you to help me find Warren. He's gone. And I need to find him before- before he does something stupid!" Scott fought away the lump in his throat.

"Why? Why would I do that?" Laura crossed her arms over her chest.

"Because you're part of my team. And right now, your team needs you. I need you." He offered her his hand. She evaluated the offer in her mind. It felt nice to be part of a team. She took his hand cautiously, interlocking their fingers.

"Where did you last see him?"


	32. The Sinner

"I apologize for my father." Rosie sat crossed legged in front of Warren. On closer inspection, he could identify her as probably about fifteen, maybe slightly younger. He furrowed his brow at her words. "Yes, Mr Brooke is my father. We are brought up to respect the older males, and my father is in charge here, so even more so with him."

Warren began to feel dizzy now, his fingers starting to tingle. Screwing his eyes shut, he tugged hard on his restraints, moaning at the way the rope cut into his wings.

"Angel, please!" She begged, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "I won't hurt you like he tells me to. I don't want to displease God."

Warren shook his head slowly, looking down at the ground in defeat.  _What was the point?_  Scott hated him. Julian hated him. His friends didn't need him. And if he died now, all of this Archangel stuff in his future would be avoided. Everyone would be better off without him.

"Do you know why he needed to find and return you so badly?" Warren did not respond. "He has sinned. He knows returning you will cleanse him. He believes..." She paused. "He believes we do not notice - that we do not know in which way he has sinned. But some of us see it clearly. I do."

She stroked Warren's hair softly, before reaching out to touch his wing. She gasped slightly when her fingers contacted the feathers.

"You really are beautiful, gentle angel." She whispered. Warren resisted rolling his eyes - he already knew that. "I knew the book said that you would be, but I did not expect this."

Warren wanted to tell her that he regularly excelled people's expectations, because it was true. He did. He was great at surprising people with what he could do. Even if the X-Men never saw that. _Or never cared._

"I don't like see you like this, angel." He flinched as she reached around his body, but relaxed when he felt the tie fall away from his lips.

"Thank you." He whispered. He wanted to shout at her - to threaten her, maybe. But there was something about her that made Warren not want to frighten her.

"Do not thank me." Her voice was quiet and weak. "You do not understand."

"Understand what?" Warren pushed.

"I am the one who lead my father to you." She confessed. "We have been watching you for quite a while. We have a member in the mountains, who told us that he saw you. My father then assigned me the task of finding you."

"So, you've been stalking me?" Warren's eyes grew wide.  _What if they found the school? What about the other mutants?_

"I've been monitoring the mountain, waiting for you to leave it. Father says we should not intrude on the home of an angel." She explained. "I followed you to the church. It was perfect. The church was the exact place we'd hope to find you. To prove you were more than just a hoax."

"I'm not-"

"I saw you with that other boy." She continued to speak over him. "The one who wore the glasses with the red lenses. I could not hear what you were saying from where I hid, but from the way he ran from the church, I assumed you were having a disagreement. What were you discussing?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Warren sighed, screwing his eyes shut to dull the pain in his head.

"Oh." Rosie blushed, before quickly changing the subject. "I wish they wouldn't hurt you like this." She ran her finger over the rope that pushed into his wings and chest. A few feathers around the rope were tinted crimson, spoiling their flawless appearance.

"Then, release me. Let me go!" Warren begged.

"I cannot. Father must cleanse his soul of his sin." She whispered, looking down and her hands in her lap.

"What sin?" Warren questioned, hoping to find a loophole he could use to break himself free.

"Father has an attraction to another man." She whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Oh, this is just too good!" Warren laughed to himself in disbelief. "Attraction isn't a sin, Rosie."

"It is when the recipient is one of your own gender."

"You wanna know what I was arguing about with that boy in the church?" Rosie nodded silently. "He is -  _was_  - my boyfriend. But he hurt me and he couldn't see why. And then I started developing feelings for someone else - a boy down in New York."

"No! You are an angel!" She pushed back from him. "You can't have sinned!"

"Oh, trust me, I'm a sinner." His mind drifted to all the bad things he had done, and would continue to do in his future.

"No! Father will not like this! He will not understand. _I_  do not understand!" She stood quickly, taking up the tie from the ground. "You lie!"

"Doesn't that make me just as much of a sinner?" He licked his dry lips, proud of how uncomfortable he was making her.

"No! You cannot just-" She cut off her own words, falling into his lap, before forcing the tie back into his mouth and tying it far too tight at the back of his head. "Silence!"

She stood quickly, backing away from him.

"You- you are no a-angel!" She stuttered. "You are a demon!"

"Rosie!" Her father re-entered the room. "Has the angel behaved for you?"

Warren shot her a look. He knew that if her father discovered she had spoken to him, and been so kind to him, she would be in big trouble. He could tell from how wary she was around him.

"Y-yes, sir." She stuttered. "I believe he may have a head injury, as he seems quite tired."

"Then, we better bring the service forward." Mr Brooke commanded, clapping his hands twice. The loud sound resonated through Warren's sore skull and he moaned slightly in response. "Rosie, prepare the table, and call the others. We need to ensure everybody is here to witness this."


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this chapter is a little violent, just a heads up.

Warren's chest was slammed hard against a solid wall. He attempted to shout out in pain, but the tie in his mouth reduced it to nothing more than a pathetic mumble. There were four men surrounding him now. One had been forcing Warren roughly down the dark corridors of where he was being kept. The second had grabbed his hair and yanked his head backwards before his body hit the wall (which Warren originally thought was to spare his face hitting the stone, until a chain was attached around his neck like a dog's leash). Mr Brooke and a slightly skinnier, brunette man observed from behind.

"Alexander." Warren could hear the authority in Mr Brooke's voice, yet there was something hidden beneath it. Warren couldn't help wondering if this 'Alexander' was the guy Rosie had said her father was attracted to.

"Yes, sir." Alexander's voice was fresh and youthful. Warren noticed him nod at the first man, out of the corner of his eye. The first man now bent down and tied the same rough rope around Warren's ankles. Although he fought, Warren was weak, and was soon overpowered by the men restraining him.

Meanwhile, the man who still held the end of the chain that was secured around Warren's neck grabbed his cuffed hands and lifted them up above his head. The way it stretched Warren's already aching biceps made his eyes water.

"Be calm, gentle angel." Alexander demanded from behind him, placing a chaste kiss on his wing. "This is just a part of the ritual."

He came up to stand beside Warren and flipped out a pocket knife, the blade glinting in the limited light. Warren screwed his eyes shut, moaning. He didn't want to die. He knew that it wouldn't necessarily matter to anyone if he did, but he didn't want to. He wanted to see Scott, to curl up with him and watch a cheesy movie - to hear him say 'I love you'. He wanted to kiss Julian goodbye. He wanted to see his dad. Or Professor Xavier. Anyone he loved.

He felt Alexander reach up beside him and heard fabric tear as he began to cut open Warren's uniform, all the way down his right arm. It was now Warren allowed a few tears to escape, as he took a deep breath around the tie between his lips. This uniform signified who he was.

The blade continued down his body. Around his wings. Down his back. Both legs. His left arm. Warren dropped his head forewords against the wall in defeat, but the chain around his neck was tugged hard and his head quickly snapped up again. All four men began tearing away the fabric. Warren stood helplessly as more of his body was exposed. Bits of his uniform remained caught under his restraints, but he was soon stood in nothing more than his underwear. He was humiliated and scared now.

"You are perfection, angel." Mr Brooke ran his finger down Warren's back, between his wings.

"Sir?" Alexander spoke up. "Is it time now?"

"Yes, Alex, it is." Warren moaned against his restraints at the sound of Mr Brooke's voice. "Come!"

The rope around Warren's ankles was cut and somebody pulled hard on the chain around his neck. He followed the direction he was being pulled reluctantly. He didn't want to. But he couldn't fight it, he was too weak and the aching in his head had increased.

"Let me explain how this will work." Mr Brooke spoke up from beside him. "God has sent you to Earth as a punishment for some sin you have performed. Yet, he expects one of his followers - like me - to return you to him when you are discovered. We discovered you, and now we must send you home. However, we must do this in a very specific way. Firstly, we must take a small knife, and remove your wings."

Warren moaned loudly in protest, thrashing his body around helplessly.  _No_. He couldn't do this. He couldn't lose his wings. The men around him quickly restrained him.

"Hush," Mr Brooke ran the back of his hand down Warren's face - which was now wet with tears - as they walked. "And once we have successful done that, we must cut two deep lines into your back, before leaving you until your sins are purged and enough blood is lost from your body to return you home."

Warren had never expected to be told how he would die. He had hoped it would be something peaceful, like in his sleep after a long life, or maybe dying in place of a teammate when fighting as part of the X-Men. That would be honourable, at least.

He was lead out into a grand room, decorated with candles and old paintings. He assumed it must be some sort of church.

"You will be at peace soon, my angel." Alexander whispered, before Warren was thrown face-down onto a large, stone table in the centre of the room. The handcuffs that joined his hands were secured to the centre of the top edge of the table and the two men from before forced his legs down and cuffed his ankles to each bottom corner.

Mr Brooke stroked Warren's wing lovingly. "You are so beautiful, angel, especially without that voice of yours spoiling it."

Warren moaned in reply. His vision was beginning to tunnel now and he knew the damage to his head was excessive.

"Unfortunately, though, we must remove unnecessary restraints for the ritual." Mr Brooke tugged a little too hard on the tie at the back of Warren's head to release it.

"Please! I'm not- I'm not who you think I am!" Warren begged immediately, his voice was weak and sore. Mr Brooke knelt at the front of the table.

"You must be quiet now, angel." He stroked Warren's hair like he was patting a dog. The combination of abuse and compassion confused Warren even more.

"Please..." He whispered.

"Silence." Mr Brooke commanded, flicking open the pen knife and holding it up for Warren to see clearly.

"Don't- Don't take my wings. Please. My wings are-"

"Silence!" He repeated, more forcefully now, as someone tugged strongly on the chain around Warren's neck.

Warren felt a cold hand trail over his back when Mr Brooke disappeared from sight.

"I'm n-not an angel!" Warren shouted out. "I'm a mutant. My wings are due to my DNA!"

"I won't tell you again, boy!" Mr Brooke leant over Warren's back and pushed the blade against his throat. "Silence!" He hissed, before pulling back.

He trailed the blade down Warren's skin, not applying enough pressure to draw blood, but still enough to make Warren writhe with the unpleasant sensation.

"You are so perfect." Alexander knelt before him now. "We will end your suffering."

Warren felt the blade push into his skin and screwed his eyes shut. But he did not feel any pain, only a release of tension as the rope that restrained his wings fell away. He knew this was it - this was his last chance. He flicked his right wing out, hitting Mr Brooke hard and knocking him away.

Now, Alexander had also brought out a knife and was forcing it against Warren's neck, causing a small amount of blood to pool around the contact.

"We did not want to hurt you, foolish angel." He hissed. The chain around Warren's neck was tugged on and he could feel the throbbing in his head trying to steal away his consciousness.

"I... I hope... You rot in... In hell!" Warren forced the words out.

"Sir! Now! We do not have time." Alexander yelled to Mr Brooke, we had regained his position. Warren wanted to fight him off again but he could barely keep his eyes open, let alone control his wings.

Warren let out a loud scream, as the knife was pushed deep into the base of his right wing.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash and everyone around Warren turned their attention to the door at the end of the room.

"Hey!" A familiar voice echoed in Warren's ears as his vision faded to black. "Get your hands off my boyfriend, you bastard!"


	34. Silent Sleep

Everything was dark. Warren didn't understand. It was like he was asleep but he couldn't wake himself, no matter what he tried. He could hear voices around him - familiar voices. But they sounded strange and distant. There was a repetitive beeping noise that led Warren to believe he might be in a hospital. Suddenly, the sounds begin to fade again, despite Warren's desperation.

"Warren?" Scott's voice brought Warren's hearing back almost instantaneously. He wanted nothing than to open his eyes and see Scott, but he couldn't. "Warren, can you hear me?"

Scott's voice was shaky and it was obvious he'd been crying. Warren ached to comfort him.

"I really need you to wake up for me, yeah?" He begged. "I'm so scared. You're terrifying me. I know this is my fault. And I can't apologize enough, ever. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I let this happen to you." Scott lowered his voice to a whisper. "I love you, Angel. With all my heart. You can't leave me. I can't let you go."

"You know," He took a deep breath, speaking up once again. "The older me and I had an argument over this. I wanted to take you to hospital, but he insisted you stay here, in the school infirmary. He won't even let Christopher help you. He says it'll be better if you heal yourself. He says if you don't wake up soon, then we can get Christopher, but not yet. I don't see why. I know you're strong, Warren, but I just don't want you to hurt anymore. Your head injury is pretty bad, in case you can't feel it." He couldn't. "And your wing... I'll tell you about that later."

Warren felt panicked.  _What was wrong with his wing? Could he still fly?_

"They're telling me I need to go. That I have to sleep. But what's the difference between three sleepless nights and four sleepless nights, right?" Scott's voice wavered again, and soon his tears were showing through in his tone. "Just please wake up for me, Warren. Please don't leave me!"

The voices faded again.

"Warren, I'm really not supposed to be here, so I'll make this quick." Warren was more than surprised to hear Julian's voice. "Scott brought me here. The others don't actually know that-"

"Hurry up, Keller." Warren identified Scott's distant voice. He sounded jealous.

"Yeah, sure." Julian cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "What I said back on the mountain, I meant it. I really meant it. I-"

"Keller!" Scott warned.

"Come on, Summers. Do you want me here or not?" Julian retorted.

"Just wake him up!" Scott hissed.

"You don't think I'm trying?! What am I supposed to say to him?!" Julian snapped in return.

"I don't know, okay? I just don't know! You need to fix this for me because I just don't know what to do!" Warren could hear in Scott's voice that he was trying to be brave and not let his emotions push through into his voice. But it wasn't working.

"This is your fault, Summers! You did this to him!" Julian growled.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have tried to sleep with him in the first place, you slut!" Scott snapped. If he hadn't had cared for both boys so much, he'd probably have found Scott's use of an insult amusing.

"Maybe you should have treated him better, you possessive asshole!" Warren wanted to stop this. He wanted to stand up and scream for them to shut up.

"You tried to screw another guy's boyfriend and you're making out I'm in the wrong?!"

"You are in the wrong, Summers! You treated him like crap!" Warren could hear footsteps and assumed that the pair were squaring off to each other. "Think about it; he hated you so much, he had travel 2,000 miles to cheat on you!"

"Shut up!" Scott yelled, his voice caught. "I should never have brought you here! You're just going to make everything worse! I don't care about what happened in the church, get out!"

"I saved his life!" Julian retorted. Warren was confused.  _Julian had saved his life? How? When?_

"I don't care! If you hadn't have made him develop feelings for you, this wouldn't have happened!" Scott yelled.

"I didn't 'make' him do anything! You pushed him away. I was there." Julian's tone was calmer now - like he was enjoying the pain he was putting Scott through.

"You are so lucky I don't blast a hole right through your chest, rich boy!" Scott growled as Warren's hearing began to fade again.

"Hello, Angel." Warren did not recognize the voice. It was harsh, yet feminine. "It is Laura here."

Warren felt angry and jealous at the sound of her name.

"I am alone here. Due to my heightened senses, I will be able to tell if there is someone coming inside." Her voice was strangely reassuring. "I need to tell you that you should wake up. Actually, Scott sent me. He believes, quite foolishly, that you will awake at the sound of a person's voice. I do not believe this. But I keep my promises, and I promised I would do this."

Warren felt suspicion bloom in his mind. It was weird.

"I am aware of your relationships and sexual attractions. Firstly, Scott informed me when we were searching for you. He could not hide it very well either. His heart rate increased dramatically at reference to you." She explained. "Secondly, Julian."

Warren felt a pang of worry.  _Who knows?_

"I could smell his scent on you every time that you left the school for long periods of time." She continued. "Do not fret. I have not told anyone."

"I think you should make a choice, Angel. Both boys have strong feelings for you. You need to stop jumping between them." Her voice was gentle, like a friend giving advice. "I know that you are in love with Scott, but he hurt you. I understand. And I know that you have feelings for Julian and you love how simple things are between you. Scott told me everything when we got you back here." Warren made a mental note to scold Scott for that later. "I do not envy your choice."

She took a deep breath and stood from the chair, which made a loud noise as it slid backwards. "Please wake up for Scott. He really misses you."

Silence again.

"Hi, it's Jean." Warren heard her laugh nervously. "We all really want you to wake up, Warren. It's not the same in the mornings now that we don't have to wait an hour for you to finish doing your hair and get out the bathroom."

"I wanted to help you, to go inside your head." Warren felt panicked at the prospect. "But future Scott said no. He said that none of the telepaths here are to go into yours or our Scott's mind. I don't know why. He won't even give us a clue."

She sighed heavily. "What are you hiding from me, Warren?"

Silence.

"Bobby?" Warren could hear Hank's distant voice. "What are you doing?"

"It's weird." Bobby's voice was far too close and had a tone of fascination to it. "Like, he's there, but he's not."

"Bobby, are you going to help me or not?" Hank sounded tired. It worried Warren, although he was not sure why.

"I reckon he knows we're here. Like he can hear us or something." Bobby continued, ignoring Hank's question.

"Well, yes. Research shows that comatose patients can hear." Hank recited the words like he was reading from a text book, the way he always did.  _I'm in a coma?_  Warren thought, confused _. I don't get it. How?_

"Hey, Warren!" Bobby had his playful tone in his voice - the one that always managed to cheer people up. "There's an all-girl pool party going on outside."

"Bobby!" Hank warned.

"What? News like that would wake me from the dead!" He laughed, but the laughter soon faded. "I guess he really doesn't want to wake up."

"He'll wake up when he's ready. His body needs to fix itself after what happened." Hank's tone was more caring now, obviously trying to comfort the younger mutant. "You remember, back home, when he threw that party after joining the Xavier School and he got such a bad hangover he slept for almost two whole days?"

"Yeah, Scott was so pissed at him." Bobby chuckled slightly.

"This is just like that." Hank replied, his mind obviously on something else.

"What? He's only doing it to annoy Scott and get out of training?" Both boys laughed.

"It wouldn't surprise me." Hank sounded more relaxed now. "They've been constantly at each other's throats recently."

"I always thought they'd make a really good couple." If he was able to, Warren would've laughed hysterically at Bobby's words.

"What? Why do you think about stuff like that?" Hank sounded more than confused.

"Boredom, mainly." Bobby shrugged off the question. "But seriously, if they would gay they'd be perfect together. Warren could probably make Scott relax a little more and not be so uptight all the time. And maybe with someone like Scott in his life, Warren could take some time out to think about someone other than himself." Bobby laughed, amused. "I think if I was gay, I'd probably want to be with a guy like Warren."

"Bobby, what were we just talking about?" Bobby didn't reply. "He might be able to hear you!"

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said that. It's not like he needs another boost to that big ass ego of his." Even if it was at his expense, Warren enjoyed hearing Bobby laugh and relax a little.

"Anyway, I brought you down here to help me with these tests, not to discuss your homosexual desires." Hank teased. "You actually gonna help me or not?"

Then the voices faded again.

"I don't know why I'm here." Although the voice wasn't familiar, Warren knew immediately who it was - Scott's future self, the man his boyfriend grew up to be.

"Honestly, Angel, I'm scared. I'm scared because I'm feeling this way again. All of these years I managed to ignore the way I felt for you. After the Archangel incident, I convinced myself you were the bad guy, that I could never like you. And I was doing pretty damn good at it too. And then I saw you and me together and it all came back. And now I can't stop thinking about you... Well, not you. Present day you. The Angel I've grown up with. I saw him the other day. He was helping me and Emma out with something, and I couldn't take my eyes off him. Even with that stupid hairstyle he has now. He should've kept it like this..." Warren heard Scott shift slightly in his seat and, although he couldn't feel it, he knew Scott was running a hand through his hair. It was weird. For Warren, this Scott was kind of like a dad to his Scott. He was also double Warren's age.

"But you have to wake up, okay? If you don't, then my Warren doesn't exist. And that would really suck." He laughed nervously, the same laugh young Scott had.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but I like to think you can. And I just want to say... Please, don't hurt him. I mean, me. I remember what it felt like back then, when I first fell in love with you, and I really wasn't in a great place. I was getting over everything that happened in the foster homes and orphanages, and with my parents and Alex. And then, on top of that, coming to terms with my mutation and my sexuality."

Warren didn't know for sure, but he could've sworn Scott was crying. This was a man that was supposed to be an evil terrorist and murderer, who was heading for a mutant apocalypse. But Warren saw nothing but the boy he loved in the man's words.

"I- I mean, he. He's not coping well. He hasn't slept and he won't eat. He's with Kitty right now. I thought she could help him. Probably not." He sighed loudly. "They still don't know about you two. The students, I mean. It's still just me, you and him, so far as I know. They all just think it's the stress of being here getting to him. I think Jean will figure it out soon though."

"Scott?" Kitty's voice spoke up.

"Oh. Kitty. Ummm... Did you just hear... Ummm." Scott sounded worried.  _Just like my Scott_ , Warren thought.

"No, I've only just got here. Why? Is something wrong?" She sounded confused and curious.

"No. It's fine. Where's Scott?" He asked, changing the subject.

"He's outside. He refused to do anything. He just wanted to come back here." Kitty explained. "Maybe you should try talking to him. I don't think he's coping very well with anything right now."

"Yeah, sure." Scott replied quickly. "Thank you, Catherine."

And then, once again, silence.

"He really loves you, y'know?" Julian's voice was back now. Warren assumed he was talking to him, until a second voice came in.

"I know." Scott said in a low whisper.

"He knows you didn't do this to him, really." The voices came from slightly further away in the room.

"I know." Scott repeated.

"I like to think he'd be happy to know you're not beating me up anymore." Julian laughed slightly. "I hope the black eye fades before he wakes up."

 _Black eye?!_  Warren thought to himself, extremely worried.  _What happened between them?_

"I hope that too." Scott's tone was slightly lighter now. "Can I speak to him alone, please?"

"Sure, I need to get back to New York anyway." Warren could almost hear the smile in Julian's tone. "Can I say goodbye first?"

"Yeah. Go ahead." Scott encouraged.

"Warren?" Julian's voice came closer. "I have to go now, but I don't want you think that I want to. I want to stay here with you until you wake up, but I need to get out before anyone finds out I'm here."

"Julian, tell him." Warren noted that Scott's words were soft, but insistent. "Tell him what you told me."

"Warren, I- I-" Julian sounded more nervous than ever. "If you can hear me, I need you to know this. I- I've fallen for you, bad. I can't stop thinking about you. And when Scott rang me up looking for you, I just-"  _Scott knows how to use a cell phone?_  "I fell apart. I came straight up here to help find you. Because the way I feel for you is like nothing I've ever experienced. I just- I needed you to know that."

"Okay," Scott sounded hurt, like he was holding back tears. "You should go before- I mean, someone will find you here."

"Goodbye, Warren. Make sure you get Scott to call me when you wake up, yeah?" Julian took a steadying breath as his voice weakened. "Later, gay boy."

The door slid open with a slow 'whoosh'. Warren noticed that the other two boys did not even acknowledge each other when Julian left.

"You know," Scott's voice drew closer. "This is the first time I've been alone with you. They keep dragging me away and I don't understand!"

Scott was crying heavily now. "It's been eight days, Warren! Eight frickin' days! Why won't you just wake up?"

Warren ached to feel his touch. Despite the comforting voice, Warren felt entirely alone.  _I can't_ , he thought to himself.

"You make me so angry when you do this stuff." Scott pushed the words through the sobs. "I'm so mad, knowing that you're hurting."

"You remember in the hotel, when we had the disagreement over whose name we'd take if we ever got married. I still want that, to marry you. If you wake up for me, we will." Scott paused, hoping for some movement on Warren's part. "Mr. Worthington Summers." He forced a laugh.

"Just wake up, baby. Please? For me? For... For Julian?" He begged. "I can't cope without you!"

"I have an idea, and I know that if you can hear me, you're probably going to hate it, but I want to try." He took a breath. "I want to spend forever with you. I want to-"

Warren heard Scott drag his chair closer.

"Warren, I want to try not caring what others think, for you, okay?" Warren felt Scott's hand in his own. He'd never been happier to feel something. He was coming back. He was going to wake up!

"Warren Kenneth Worthington III," Scott began, his voice wavering. "I have never loved anyone like I love you. And this had shown me that I need you more than anything. I guess what I'm trying to say is... Angel, will you marry me?"

The sensations were slowly returning to Warren's body, but he couldn't quite move. It was the most frustrating thing. He forced his mind to concentrate and prayed for his body to obey him. And then - it did.

"Y- yes." Warren's reply was scarcely a whisper.

"Warren?" Scott pulled back in disbelief, as Warren attempted to force his eyes open. "Warren! You're okay! Push a little harder, come back to me."

"Sc-Scott." He breathed. "I love you."

"I know, Warren. I know." Scott was crying more than ever now and Warren felt him push his lips to his own. "I'm so proud of you."

"Yes." Warren moaned, finally managing to open his eyes completely.

"What?" Scott laughed, looking down at his and smiling largely.

"Your question." Warren took a deep breath, his body aching. "Yes. I- I want that."

"Oh, Warren. I love you so much!" He pulled Warren's painful frame into his arms. "I'll make it all perfect, I promise."

"Angel is awake?" Warren looked over to see a stream of faculty members and students in the doorway. They were smiling.

"I'm- Ah!" He gasped as he pushed himself up into a seated position. His wings were painful, and as awkward as usual. "I'm okay."

"No. You're not." Scott objected firmly, as the others entered the room. "You're not leaving this bed."

"But I want to-"

"No, Warren! You're staying here." Scott ordered. Warren rolled his eyes. He just wanted to spend time with Scott now.

"Can't I just-"

"Scott's right, Warren." Kitty agreed, coming to stand beside the bed. "You need to stay here, at least for tonight."

"But-" Warren stopped himself. He was never going to win. "Fine."

"Can I talk to him alone, please? It's about the team..." Scott was a terrible liar and everyone knew that, but no one questioned it. "And what happened."

"Sure." Kitty smiled gently. "Come on, students. Back to class."

There were a few moans of disappointment as the group left the room. Scott sighed peacefully when the door closed behind them, and turned his attention back to Warren.

"Did you mean it?" Warren asked quickly.

"What?" Scott bit his lip nervously.

"You know exactly what, Summers!" Warren snapped impatiently. "Did you mean it?"

"Yes." Scott replied shyly. "Did you?"

"Yeah," Warren's tone softened again. "Of course I did, Scotty. I love you."

"So, this is real?" Scott swallowed hard, twisting his fingers together in his lap, after he sat on the bed at Warren's feet.

"Does this mean we're..." Warren lowered his tone. "We're engaged?"

"I guess so." Scott blushed. "Is that... Is that okay with you?"

"I said yes, didn't I?" Warren's features adopted a huge grin. "I love you with all my heart, Scotty. Nothing's gonna change that."

"But Julian... He-"

"I know. I know what he feels for me, and I know what I feel for him. But it's nothing compared to how I feel for you." He reached out and took Scott's hand. "I want to marry you, Scott Summers."

"I want to marry you too, Warren." Scott's eyes lined with tears behind his glasses.

"So, you do realize that this kind of means you have to come out?" Warren said reluctantly, not really wanting to spoil the moment.

"I think I'm ready." Scott smiled, running a hand through Warren's hair. "Seeing you lay there for the last week, completely helpless, made me realize I'd do anything to keep you safe. And some stupid fear of people knowing who I am really wasn't such a big deal. Not when your life was at risk."

"You're perfect. I'm so proud of you." Warren raised his aching arms and pulled Scott into a kiss. Somehow, this kiss was different. There was a sense of honesty within it that Warren hadn't felt before. There was no holding back. They loved each other unconditionally. When their lips broke, they spent a moment just holding each other, eyes closed, listening to each other's breathing.

"I'm so in love with you." Scott whispered. And suddenly, everything didn't seem so bad. They were together now. And it didn't feel like such a sin, for either of them.


	35. For Eternity

"I think we're just waiting on you now, Mr Summers." Bobby announced happily, as he entered the room.

"Really? Oh god. Okay. Do I look alright?" Warren twisted and posed in the mirror. "And you know you can't call me that until after the wedding."

"I still can't believe you're taking his name." Julian smiled up at the nervous groom from where he sat on the bed.

"Why? Would you prefer to make me Warren Keller, best man?" Warren teased, despite his nerves.

"You wish." Julian smirked.

"I'm not gonna lie, I feel a bit less special knowing he's the best man too." Bobby commented from the doorway.

"And Hank." Warren and Julian said together.

"Yeah, but Hank's always with Scott. So, that's different." He complained. "Hank gets Scott, Julian gets you. Who do I get?"

"You get the rings." Warren's eyes widened suddenly. "You have the rings, right?"

"Of course." Bobby laughed entering the room.

"Okay, good." Warren took a deep breath. "Damn, it's hot in here. Can't we open a window?"

"The windows are open, Warren." Julian suppressed laughter. "You really need to calm down."

"Here." Bobby took a plastic water bottle from the nightstand, holding it until a small amount of ice formed in the liquid, and tossed it to Warren.

Warren turned back towards the door. "Maybe I should just-"

Julian flicked his hand casually and the door slammed shut in Warren's face.

"Sit down, Warren." He ordered, smirking.

"What if he doesn't turn up? What if he's not ready? What if I mess up?" He took a swig from the cool water. "Does my hair look okay?"

"Dude! You're insane!" Bobby laughed. "Calm down!"

"Have you ever seen him this crazy?" Julian turned to Bobby, leaving Warren to tug and pull at his suit in the mirror.

"You should see Scott. You know he's like totally obsessive about normal things? Well, multiply that by about one hundred. I feel sorry for Hank." Both boys laughed.

"Warren, you look fine." Julian smirked.

"Are you sure?" Warren bit his lip and tilted his head at his reflection.

"Actually," Bobby teased. "Your wings are a little-"

"Bobby, if you finish that sentence, we will never leave this room and you will have a very angry Scott Summers after you." Julian warned. "That's not fun. Trust me."

"Do you think this tie is too black?" Bobby and Julian shot each other confused looks. Warren was getting really weird now.

"Hey, boys?" Laura appeared in the doorway. She wore a strapless, knee length, black bridesmaid's dress. "We are ready downstairs."

"Wow, Laura." Julian rushed over from the bed, sweeping the dark haired girl into his arms. "You look amazing."

"Thank you, Julian. You also look attractive." She kissed him, gently at first and then with more passion. That was one thing everyone had noticed. Since Julian had gotten back with Laura and moved to Canada for her, they were all over each other all the time. In training. In the cafeteria. In lessons. It was terrible. But it was also sort of romantic, and Warren was glad that they were happy.

"Guys! Can we not?!" Bobby spoke up, rolling his eyes.

"I apologize, Iceman." Laura replied sweetly, her eyes locked on Julian's. "I must have gotten carried away."

"Obviously." Bobby moaned.

"Oh!" She stepped back from Julian and produced a single red rose from a small, black clutch bag. "Warren, Hank says you need to wear this."

"But it's red." Warren stared at her, confused.

"Yes, Warren. It is. At least we know you can still see in colour." Julian teased.

"No, I mean. Scott said everything needed to be black and white." Warren began to worry again.

"What colour are Scott's glasses, Warren?" Julian raised his eyebrows, stifling laughter.

"Red."

"Exactly."

"When I saw him," Laura spoke up, tossing the rose to Bobby. "He was panicking about how his glasses didn't fit with the theme and how you needed something red or it would not work."

"You've seen him?" Warren gave up on the 'butterflies in your stomach' metaphor now, as those butterflies felt more like fighter jets. "How does he look? Is he nervous? Is he going to turn up?"

"Warren, he is already downstairs." Laura giggled slightly. "And he looks gorgeous."

"Oh my god." Warren pushed a hand through his hair, his heart beating fast, as Bobby attempted to pin the flower to his jacket.

"Ow!" Bobby exclaimed, stabbing himself in the finger for the sixth time. "Best man number two, can you put down your girlfriend and come help me out?"

"Sorry." Julian blushed, kissing Laura lightly on the cheek. "See you down there, beautiful."

"Julian!"

"Jeez, Bobby. I'm coming!" He made his way over and took the flower from Bobby's hands.

"Julian," Warren took a deep breath. "What if this is too quick for him? Is this a stupid idea?"

"No. Why would you even say that? You and Scott are perfect for each other." Julian bit his lip lightly as his pinned the rose to Warren's jacket.

"I don't know. But I just can't stop thinking about how he thought our relationship was wrong originally. Maybe he doesn't want this."

"How could he not want this? He loves you. I've never seen anyone so in love. If he still cared what people thought, he wouldn't have come out in the first place."

"I'm just so scared, Keller." Warren confessed.

"I know." Julian shrugged. "But just think about the fact that, by the end of this, you'll be Warren Summers."

"Still sounds weird." Warren laughed slightly.

"You'll get used to it." Julian smiled. "Now, get your ass downstairs."

"How are you feeling?" Older Scott asked his younger self.

"Nervous." Scott blushed. "Isn't this weird for you?"

"Not really. I know how you feel about him. I'm happy for you. For us." He shrugged. "Although, the fact a teenage version of my ex-wife is the maid of honor is sort of strange." They both laughed. "Are you scared?"

"Yeah. Very."

"Why? You love him so much. What is there to be scared of?"

"This must be a big step for him." Scott sighed. "Warren's famously known for not doing commitment. This is about as committed as you can get!"

"Scott!" Jean rushed over, looking perfectly beautiful. "Hank and I have just sent Laura up to go get them."

"Seriously?" Scott took a deep breath. "Oh, wow. Okay."

"Relax!" She laughed.

"Okay. I can... Oh my god. What if he doesn't want me?" He looked at her in desperation.

"Are you kidding me?" She rolled her eyes. "You two can barely keep your hands off each other any other time! Why should today be any different?"

Scott blushed and looked down at his feet. "We're not that bad."

"True. You're not Julian and Laura." She teased. "Speaking of which, I should probably go check on her. Knowing Julian, he took one look at her in that dress and whisked her off to the nearest empty room."

"Thank you, Jean. For everything." He smiled a sincere smile before she walked away.

"I still love her, you know." Older Scott said, watching her. "Not in the way I - we - love Warren. But she taught me a lot. You need to stay close to her, okay? For me."

"I will. I promise." Scott smiled up at the man he would one day become. It was strange, but he didn't feel that weird about it all. He watched as his older counterpart left the room and headed outside to sit down with the rest of the guests.

"Are you ready?" Bobby appeared beside him, making him jump.

"Jesus, Bobby!" He took a steadying breath. "But yeah. I guess I am."

"You guess?" Julian quickly joined them, hand in hand with Laura.

"That seems to connote an air of uncertainty, Scott." She commented. "You are unsure?"

"No, he's fine." Jean smiled up at him, arriving back beside them. "It's just nerves."

"Exactly." Scott agreed. "Where's Hank?"

"He wanted to talk to Warren, so I left them together and came down here with Laura." Julian shrugged. "Something to do with Bobby and the rings."

"How is he?" Scott fiddled with his glasses nervously.

"Warren?" Julian smirked at the thought. "He's-"

"Completely insane." Bobby interjected. "Honestly, I've never seen him this weird."

"Is he having second thoughts?"

"Scott, shut up." Jean ordered softly.

"I know. Sorry. I'm just a bit worried." Scott admitted. "I mean, what if he doesn't want to do this?"

"I do, Scott." Warren spoke up as he entered the room. "I really do."

Scott's heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. There was a cute smile on his lips, one Scott had never seen before. It was similar to his usual, arrogant smile, but there was a well-hidden hint of vulnerability behind it. As always, he looked perfect in a suit and held his wings up proudly.

"You look amazing." He whispered, taking Scott's hand and causing him to blush.

"Thank you. You're not so bad yourself." Scott teased, squeezing Warren's hand gently. "Are you ready?"

Warren bit his lip and nodded. "Definitely."

The ceremony was beautiful, of course. Warren had wished he could steal Scott's glasses to hide the tears that lined his eyes. Everything was so perfect, and, for once, they just felt like normal guys. No mutations. No time travel. No regrets. Just two people who loved each other more than they could ever comprehend.

"You know," Alex leant casually on the bar beside Warren when the ceremony was over. "This is the third wedding my brother has had, and to be honest, it's definitely my favourite."

"Thanks." Warren smiled.

"You'll look after him, right?" Alex watched the way his brother chatted happily with the guests.

"Honestly, I've had this same talk from future me, future him, your dad and Jean. I'm not gonna let you down." Warren's eyes followed every slightest movement made by Scott's body. "There's no way I'm going to let him get hurt. I really love him."

"I know." Alex turned back to Warren. "I'm just worried. I never got to see him when he was your age. And now that I do, I can't help feeling a bit overprotective. Especially considering how much the real Scott hates me."

"I don't hate you, Alex." Older Scott appeared beside them.

"I'm gonna go..." Warren smiled, choosing to leave them alone together. He didn't like the idea of Scott falling out with the brother that  _his_  Scott missed and loved so much.

"Hello, Mr Summers." Scott purred, pulling Warren in for a soft kiss. "What's that look for?"

"Doesn't it bother you that you and Alex aren't close in the future?" Warren pouted slightly in confusion.

"Yeah, I guess. But I'm kind of glad that I find him again, y'know." Scott shrugged. "Why are you worrying about that now, anyway? We have more important things to think about."

"Yeah?" Warren raised his eyebrows.

"Yes! You have a speech to make." Scott kissed him again.

"I've noticed that you're kissing me a lot today." Warren commented, smiling proudly at the boy in his arms.

"I'm allowed to, you're my husband now." Scott whispered, trying to contain his happiness at the words.

"I am, aren't I, Mr Summers?"

"Yes, Mr Summers." Scott chuckled, before Warren leant in and kissed him again.

"I'm so lucky to have you, Scott."

"Scott," Warren whispered, hugging Scott tighter to his bare chest as they lay, tangled together in the four-poster bed in the expensive, penthouse suite Warren's older self had booked for them.

"Mmhmm?" Scott hummed, mindlessly drawing circles on his husband's chest with his finger.

"Do you think this was kind of... Foolish?" Warren bit his lip, fearful he might have insulted Scott.

"I know it won't mean anything when we go back, Warren." Scott murmured tiredly. "But that doesn't make us foolish. I love you. With all my heart. And I wanted to make you mine. We know this won't happen when we go back, so why not get what we want while we can?"

"You didn't need to marry me to make me yours. I've been yours since the moment I laid eyes on you, Summers." He smiled as he said the words. He knew Scott was right. They deserved this happiness.

"I love you so much, Warren. I'm really sorry that I never get the balls to actually tell you that in our future. I'm so sorry I'm a coward." Scott moved his head over Warren's heart and listened to the gentle beating. It was calming.

"I'm sorry too. So, so much." Warren pushed his lips softly against Scott's forehead.

"But at least you had the guts to tell me here. And I can never thank you enough for that. I just hope giving you my surname was a good enough start." Scott attempted to suppress the grin that came with his words, but, of course, it was impossible.

"It was a perfect start, Mr Summers." Warren smirked, knowing that Scott would be smiling his favourite smile right now.

"I am glad, Mr Summers." He shuffled up the bed to lie beside Warren. "It was nice to see my dad today."

"Yeah, it was." Warren was suddenly overcome with worry. "Oh god. Did he hate me?"

"To be honest, I think he was sort of impressed. You're way outta my league!" Scott laughed.

"But I'm the one who stopped you leaving with him." Warren bit his lip nervously.

"Yeah, but he understood. He just wants me to be happy, Angel. And you make me happy."

"Are you going to miss him? When we go back, I mean. Are you going to miss knowing he's okay?" Warren stroked Scott's hair, looking into his glasses and hoping their eyes connected somewhere.

"Of course I am, but we can't change that." They both sighed. "Are you going to miss Julian? I know how much he means to you."

"I am." Warren confessed, hoping Scott had put their brief affair behind him. "I can't imagine what it's gonna be like back there without my best friend."

"I know, Angel. I know how much he means to you." Scott kissed his husband gently. It was his way of saying he approved of the relationship Warren had with Julian.

"Life without him is gonna be so strange." Warren whispered, closing his eyes and shifting his wings slightly under their bodies.

"Well, you won't remember him for long, so..." Scott trailed off. Not knowing what to say to make it better.

"I won't remember this either." Warren said the words reluctantly.

"I know, but I will make every second until the moment the professor takes our memories perfect for us. You're my husband now. And, despite what our futures say, you always will be. I love you, Warren. And just know, I have  _always_  needed you."

\--The End--


End file.
